No.tl2-113-114, 



English • Classic - Series 




BENJAMIN fRAN KLIN 



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author of a " Text-Book on Rhetoric," a " Text-Book on English Literature," 
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The Book is divided info the following Periods : 

Period I. — Before the Norman Conquest, 670-1066. Period II. — 
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Revolution, 1745-1789. Period VIII.— From the French Revolution, 
1789, onwards. 

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allow, have been made irom the principal writers of each Period. Such are 
selected as contain the characteristic traits of their authors, both in 
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ENGLISH CLASSIC SERIES.-No 112-113-114. 



THE AUTOBIOGEAPHY 

OP 

Benjamin Franklin, 

(C03IPLETE.) 

Prepaked for Use in" Schools. 



WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND A SUPPLEMENTARY SKETCH, 
CONCLUDING THE STORY OF FRANKLIN'S LIFE, PRE- 
SENTED MAINLY IN HIS OWN WORDS. 



J. \V. ABERNETHY, Ph.D. 




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KELLOGG'S Text-Book on Rhetoric. 

KELLOGG'S Text-Book on English Literature. 



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INTRODUCTION. 



The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is an American 
classic, and it is the earliest product of our national genius entitled 
to that distinction. Its author was not a man of letters, yet he 
wrote extensively ; and a few of his essays, the sayings of Poor 
Richard, and the Autobiography will always give him a promi- 
nent place in the history of American literature. He cultivated 
letters and the art of expression because he saw their practical 
value in the struggle for business success, and his writings are an 
excellent illustration of the utility of the highest literary qualities 
in the common employments of every- day life. The ease with 
which he wielded the pen, added to the habit of observing care- 
fully and thinking clearly, made him a leader and teacher of men. 

"The perennial charm of his Autobiography is like that of 
Robinson Crusoe," says George William Curtis ; and this charm 
is due largely to a style that in its crystal clearness and forceful 
simplicity is the equal of that of De Foe. Plain, idiomatic, direct, 
with no ornament or grace except such as is native to the thought, 
the language forms a perfect transcript of the writer's mind. One 
is never in doubt about Franklin's meaning. But this charm is due 
still more to the picturesque and noble personality portrayed in the 
Autobiography. It records the career of one who from poverty 
arose to be revered by the greatest and wisest of two continents. 
Few men have influenced the world so widely and permanently as 
Franklin. 

"Clear rather than subtle," says Prof. Beers, "without ideality 
or romance or fineness of emotion or poetic lift, intensely practical 
and utilitarian, broad-minded, inventive, shrewd, versatile, Frank- 
lin's sturdy figure became typical of his time and his people." 
He was the first great American, and his greatness was of many 

3 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

kinds. He was a distinguislied scientist and practical inventor. 
Bancroft calls him "the greatest diplomatist of his century." He 
was a great moral teacher, the supreme philosopher of common- 
sense and the useful virtues. Says his latest biographer, Mr. 
Morse: " He was one of the most, perhaps the most agreeable 
conversationist of his age. He was a rare wit and humorist, and 
in an age when ' American humor ' was still unborn, amid contem- 
poraries who have left no trace of a jest, still less of the faintest 
appreciation of humor, all which he said and wrote was brilliant 
with both these most charming qualities of the human mind." 
And he concludes: "By the instruction which he gave, by his 
discoveries, by his inventions, and by his achievements in public 
life he earns the distinction of having rendered to men varied and 
useful services excelled by no other one man ; and thus he has 
established a claim upon the gratitude of mankind so broad that 
history holds few who can be his rivals." 

The only complete and correct edition of the Autobiography is 
that edited by the Hon. John Bigelow, who obtained the original 
MS. in France and first gave it to the public in 1868. By the 
courtesy of Mr. Bigelow and his publishers, the J. B. Lippincott 
Co., we are permitted to use the authorized text in the preparation 
of this edition. A few passages unsuitable for the class-room 
have been omitted, and also the two letters mentioned on page 
75. In order that the book may be thoroughly adapted for the 
reading of young pupils, the spelling has been modernized and a 
few grammatical errors corrected; otherwise the text is given just 
as Franklin wrote it. The supplementary sketch of Franklin's 
life from the point where the Autobiography ends will serve, it is 
hoped, as an inducement to read more of the charming letters con- 
tained in Mr. Bigelow's " Life of Benjamin Franklin," a work of 
inestimable value to teachers as well as pupils. Also additional 
reading should be encouraged in such works as Parton's " Life and 
Times of Benjamin Franklin," Morse's "Life of Franklin" (Amer- 
ican Statesmen Series), and Hale's " Frankliti in France." The 
needed explanations of public events connected with Franklin's 
career will generally be found in the text-book of United States 
history, with which the Autobiography should always be used. 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY 

OF 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



TwYFORD, at the Bishop of St. AsapJi^s, 1771. 

Dear Son: I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little 
anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries 
I made among the remains of my relations when you were with 
me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. 
Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the cir- 
cumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted 
with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week's uninterrupted 
leisure in my present country retirement, ' I sit down to write 
them for you. To which I have besides some other induce- 
ments. Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in 
which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some 
degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far 
through life with a considerable share of felicity, the conduc- 
ing means I made use of, which with the blessing of God so 
well succeeded, my posterity may like to know, as they may 
find some of them suitable to their own situations, and there- 
fore fit to be imitated. 

That felicity, when I reflected on it, has induced me some- 
times to say, that were it offered to my choice, I should have 

]. He was at Twyford, England, visiting his friend the Bishop of St. 
Asaph, Dr. Jonathan Shipley, 'America's constant friend," as he called 
hina. 



6 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, 
only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition 
to correct some faults of the first. So I might, besides cor- 
recting the faults, change some sinister accidents and events 
of it for others more favorable. But though this were denied, 
I should still accept the offer. Since such a repetition is not to 
be expected, the next thing most like living one's life over again 
seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recol- 
lection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing. 

Hereby, too, I shall indulge the inclination so natural in old 
men, to be talking of themselves and their own past actions; 
and I shall indulge it without being tiresome to others, who, 
through respect to age, might conceive themselves obliged 
to give me a hearing, since this may be read or not as any one 
pleases. And, lastly (I may as well confess it, since my denial 
of it will be believed by nobody), perhaps I shall a good deal 
gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I scarce ever heard or saw 
the introductory words, " Without vanity, I may say,"" etc., 
but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dis- 
like vanity in others, whatever share they may have of it 
themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, 
being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the pos- 
sessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and 
therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if 
a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other 
comforts of life. 

And now I speak of thanking God, I desire with all humil- 
ity to acknowledge thati owe the mentioned happiness of my 
past life to His kind providence, which led me to the means 
I used and gave them success. My belief of this induces me 
to hope, though I must not presume, that the same goodness 
will still be exercised toward me, in continuing that happi- 
ness, or enabling me to bear a fatal reverse, which I may ex- 
perience as others have done; the complexion of my future 
fortune being known to Him only in whose power it is to bless 
to us even our afflictions. 

The notes one of my uncles (who had the same kind of 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 7 

curiosity in collecting family anecdotes) once put into my 
hands, furnished me with several particulars relating to our 
ancestors. From these notes I learned that the family had 
lived in the same village, Ecton, in Northamptonshire, for 
three hundred years, and how much longer he knew not (per- 
haps from the time when the name of Franhlin, that before 
was the name of an order of people,* was assumed by them as 
a surname when others took surnames all over the kingdom), 
on a freehold of about thirty acres, aided by the smith's busi- 
ness, which had continued in the family till his time, the 
eldest son being always bred to that business ; a custom which 
he and my father followed as to their eldest sons. When I 
searched the registers at Ecton, I found an account of their 
births, marriages, and burials from the year 1555 only, there 
being no registers kept in that parish at any time preceding. 
By that register I perceived that 1 was the youngest son of the 
youngest son for five generations back. My grandfather 
Thomas, who was born in 1598, lived at Ecton till he grew 
too old to follow business longer, when he went to live with 
his son John, a dyer at Banbury, in Oxfordshire, with whom 
my father served an apprenticeship. There my grandfather 
died and lies buried. We saw his gravestone in 1758. His 
eldest son Thomas lived in the house at Ecton, and left it with 
the land to his only child, a daughter, who, with her husband, 
one Fisher, of Wellingborough, sold it to Mr. Isted, now lord 
of the manor there. My grandfather had four sons that grew 
up, viz. : Thomas, John, Benjamin, and Josiah. I will give 
you what account I can of them, at this distance from my 
papers, and if these are not lost in my absence, you will 
among them find many more particulars. 

Thomas was bred a smith under his father; but, being in- 
genious, and encouraged in learning (as all my brothers 
were) by an Esquire Palmer, then the principal gentleman in 



1. A Franklin, or Frankelein, was a freeholder or small landholder; 
originally the son or descendant of a vilein or common laborer who had 
become rich. Chaucer pictures the Frankelein, in his "Prologue," as the 
representative of a class of country gentlemen. 



8 BEKJAMIK FRAKKLIN". 

that parish, he qualified himself for the business of scrivener; 
became a considerable man in the county; was a chief mover 
of all public-spirited undertakings for the county or town of 
Northampton, and his own village, of which many instances 
were related of him; and much taken notice of and patronized 
by the then Lord Halifax. He died in 1702, January 6, old 
style, just four years to a day before I was born. The account 
we received of his life and character from some old people at 
Ecton, I remember, struck you as something extraordinary, 
from its similarity to what you knew of mine. " Had he died 
on the same day," you said, " one might have supposed a 
transmigration." 

John was bred a dyer, I believe, of woolens. Benjamin 
was bred a silk-dyer, serving an apprenticeship at London. 
He was an ingenious man. I remember him well, for when I 
was a boy he came over to my father in Boston, and lived in 
the house with us some years. He lived to a great age. His 
grandson, Samuel Franklin, now lives in Boston. He left 
behind him two quarto volumes, MS., of his own poetry, con- 
sisting of little occasional pieces addressed to his frienrls and 
relations, of which the following, sent to me, is a specimen.^ 
He had formed a short-hand of his own, which he taught me, 
but, never practicing it, I have now forgot it. I was named 
after this uncle, there being a particular affection between 
him and my father. He was very pious, a great attender of 
sermons of the best preachers, which he took down in his 
short-hand, and had with him many volumes of them. He 
was also much of a politician; too much, perhaps, for his 
station. There fell lately into my hands, in London, a collec- 
tion he had made of all the principal pamphlets relating to 
public affairs, from 1641 to 1717; many of the volumes are 
wanting as appears by the numbering, but there still remain 
eight volumes in folio, and twenty-four in quarto and in octavo. 
A dealer in old books*met with them, and knowing me by my 
sometimes buying of him, he brought them to me. It seems 

1. Franklin failed to insert the poetry. 



BENJAMIIT FRANKLIN. 9 

my uncle must have left them here when he went to America, 
which was above fifty years since. There are many of hia 
notes in the margins. 

This obscure family of ours was early in the Reformation, 
and continued Protestants tli rough the reign of Queen Mary, 
when they w^ere sometimes in danger of trouble on account of 
their zeal against popery. They had got an English Bible, 
and to conceal and secure it, it was fastened open with tapes 
under and within the cover of a joint-stool. When my great- 
great-grandfather read it to his family, he turned up the 
joint-stool upon his knees, turning over the leaves then under 
the tapes. One of the children stood at the door to give 
notice if he saw' the apparitor coming, who was an ofiicer of 
the spiritual court. In that case the stool was turned down 
again upon its feet, w^hen the Bible remained concealed under 
it as before. This anecdote I had from my uncle Benjamin. 
The family continued all of the Church of England till about 
the end of Charles the Second's reign, when some of the 
ministers that had been outed for non-conformity holding 
conventicles in Northamptonshire, Benjamin and Josiah 
adhered to them, and so continued all their lives : the rest of 
the family remained with the Episcopal Church. 

Josiah, my father, married young, and carried his wife with 
three children into New England, about 1682. The conven- 
ticles having been forbidden by law% and frequently disturbed, 
induced some considerable men of his acquaintance to remove 
to that country, and he wvas prevailed with to accompany 
them thither, where they expected to enjoy their mode of 
religion with freedom. By the same wife he had four chil- 
dren more born there, and by a second wife ten more, in all 
seventeen; of which I remember thirteen sitting at one time 
at his table, who all grew up to be men and women, and mar- 
ried; I was the youngest son, and the youngest child but two, 
and was born in Boston, New England.' My mother, the 



1. Franklin was horn January 17 (fi, old style). 1706, in a house on MiUr 
Street, oppusiie Old South Church, where the Boston Post huildiug now 
stands. 



10 BENJAMIN FRAKKLIK. 

second wife, was Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, one 
of the first settlers of New England, of whom honorable 
mention is made by Cotton Mather, in his church history of 
that country, entitled " Magnalia Christ! Americana," as ''a 
godly, learned Englisliman,^^ if I remember the words 
rightly. I have heard that he wrote sundry small occasional 
pieces, but only one of them was printed, which I saw now 
many years since. It was written in 1675, in the home-spun 
verse of that time and people, and addressed to those then 
concerned in the government there. It was in favor of 
liberty of conscience, and in behalf of the Baptists, Quakers, 
and other sectaries that had been under persecution, ascribing 
the Indian wars, and other dislresses that had befallen the 
country, to that persecution, as so many judgments of God to 
punish so heinous an offense, and exhorting a repeal of those 
uncharitable laws. The whole appeared to me as written 
with a good deal of decent plainness and manly freedom. 
The six concluding lines I remember, though I have forgotten 
the two first of the stanza; but the purport of them was, that 
his censures proceeded from good-will, and, therefore, he 
would be known to be the author. 

" Because to be a libeler (says he) 

I hate it with my heart ; 
From Sherburne' town, where now I dwell, 

My name I do put here; 
"Without offense your real friend, 

It is Peter Folgier." 

My elder brothers were all put apprentices to different 
trades. I was put to the grammar-school at eight years of 
age, my father intending to devote me, as the tithe of his 
sons, to the service of the Church. My early readiness in 
learning to read (which must have been very early, as I do 
not remember when I could not read), and the opinion of all 
his friends, that I should certainly make a good scholar, en- 
couraged him in this purpose of his. My uncle Benjamin, too, 

1 . Slierburne.— The original name of the town of Nantucket. Folger 
is still a familiar name in Nantucket. 



BENJAMIK FRAKKLTN. 11 

approved of it, and proposed to give me all his short-hand 
volumes of sermons, I suppose as a stock to set up with, if I 
would learn his character.' I continued, however, at the 
grammar-school not quite one year, though in that time I had 
risen gradually from the middle of the class of that year to be 
the head of it, and farther was removed into the next class 
above it, in order to go with that into the third at the end of 
the year. But my father in the mean time, from a view of 
the expense of a college education, which having so large a 
family he could not well afford, and the mean living many so 
educated were afterwards able to obtain — reasons that he 
gave to his friends in my hearing — altered his first intention, 
took me from the grammar-school, and sent me to a school 
for writing and arithmetic, kept by a then famous man, Mr. 
George Brownell, very successful in his profession generally, 
and that by mild, encouraging methods. Under him I 
acquired fair writing pretty soon, but I failed in the arith- 
metic, and made no progress in it. At ten years old I was 
taken home to assist my father in his business, which was 
tliat of a tallow-chandler and soap-boiler ; a business he was 
not bred to, but had assumed on his arrival in New England, 
and on finding his dyeing trade would not maintain his 
family, being in little request. Accordingly, I was employed 
in cutting wick for the candles, filling the dipping mold and 
the molds for cast candles, attending the shop, going of 
errands, etc. 

I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination for the 
sea, but my father declared against it ; however, living near 
the water, I was much in and about it, learned early to swim 
well, and to manage boats ; and when in a boat or canoe with 
other boys I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in 
any case of diQculty ; and upon other occasions I was gener- 
ally a leader among the boys, and sometimes led them into 
scrapes, of which I will mention one instance, as it shows an 
early projecting public spirit, though not then justly conducted. 

There was a salt-marsh that bounded part of the mill-pond, 

1. Learn hi8 character.— That is, learn to read his short-hand. 



12 BENJAMIN ERANKLIN. 

on the edge of which, at high-water, we used to stand to fish 
for minnows. By much trampling we had made it a mere 
quagmire. My proposal was to build a wharf there fit for us 
to stand upon, and I showed my comrades a large heap of 
stones, which were intended for a new house near the marsh, 
and which would very well suit our purpose. Accordingly, in 
the evening, when the workmen were gone, I assembled a 
number of my play-fellows, and working with them diligently 
like so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, we 
brought them all away and built our little wharf. The next 
morning the workmen were surprised at missing the stones, 
which were found in our wharf. Inquiry was made after the 
removers ; we were discovered and complained of ; several of 
us were corrected by our fathers ; and, though I pleaded the 
usefulness of the work, mine convinced me that nothing was 
useful which was not honest. 

I think you may like to know something of his person and 
character. He bad an excellent constitution of body, was of 
middle stature, but well set, and very strong ; he was ingeni- 
ous, could draw prettily, was skilled a little in music, and had 
a clear, pleasing voice, so that when he played psalm tunes on 
his violin and sung withal, as he sometimes did in an evening 
after the business of the day was over, it was extremely agree- 
able to hear. He had a mechanical genius, too, and on occa- 
sion was very handy in the use of other tradesmen's tools ; 
but his great excellence lay in a sound understanding and 
solid judgment in prudential matters, both in private and 
public affairs. In the latter, indeed, he was never employed, 
the numerous family he had to educate and th« straitness of 
his circumstances keeping him close to his trade ; but I re- 
member well his being frequently visited by leading people, 
who consulted him for his opinion in affairs of the town or of 
the church he belonged to, and showed a good deal of respect 
for his judgment and advice ; he was also much consulted by 
private persons about their affairs when any diflficulty oc- 
curred, and frequently chosen an arbitrator between contend- 
ing parties. At his table he liked to have, as often as he 
could, some sensible friend or neighbor to converse with, and 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 13 

always took care to start some ingenious or useful topic for 
discourse, which might tend to improve the minds of his 
children. By this means he turned our attention to what was 
good, just, and prudent in the conduct of life; and little or no 
notice was ever taken of what rehited to the victuals on the 
table, whether it was well or ill dressed, in or out of season, 
of good or bad flavor, preferable or inferior to this or that 
other thing of the kind, so that I was brought up in such a 
perfect inattention to those matters as to be quite indifferent 
what kind of food was set before me, and so unobservant of it, 
that to this day if I am asked I can scarce tell a few hours 
after dinner what I dined upon. This has been a convenience 
to me in traveling, where my companions have been some- 
times very unhappy for want of a suitable gratification of their 
more delicate, because better instructed, tastes and appetites. 
My mother had likewise an excellent constitution ; she 
suckled all her ten children. I never knew either my father 
or mother to have any sickness but that of which they died, 
he at 89, and she at 85 years of age. They lie buried together 
at Boston,' where I some years since placed a marble over 
their grave, wath this inscription : 

JosiAH Franklin, 

and 

Abiah his wife, 

lie here interred. 

They lived loving:]y together in wedlock 

fifty-five years. • 

Without an estate, or any gainful employment, 
By constant labor and industry, 
with God's blessing. 
They maintained a large family 

comfortably, 

and brought up thirteen cnildren 

and seven giandchildren 

reputably. 

From this instance, reader, 

Be encouraged to diligence in thy calling, 

And distrust not Providence. 

He was a pious and prudent man ; 

She, a disci-eet and virtuous Avoman. 

Their j-oungest son, 

In filial regard to their memory. 

Places this stone. 

J. F. born 1655. died 1T44, ^tat 89, 

A. F. born 1667, died 175-.>, 85. 

1. The grave is in the Granary burying-ground. The original stone having 
crumbled under the ravages of time, a new monument bearing the origin;tl 
inscription was placed upon the grave in 1827, by citizens of Boston. 



14 BEI^JAMIX FRAXKLIK, 

By my rambling digressions I perceive myself to be grown 
old. I used to write more methodically. But one does not 
dress for private company as for a public ball. 'Tis perhaps 
only negligence. 

To return : I continued thus employed in my father's busi- 
ness for two years, that is, till I was twelve years old ; and 
my brother John, who was bred to that business, having left 
my father, married, and set up for himself at Rhode Island, 
there was all appearance that I was destined to supply his 
place, and become a tallow-chandler. But my dislike to the 
trade continuing, my father was under apprehensions that if 
he did not find one for me more agreeable, I should break 
away and get to sea, as his son -Josiah had done, to his great 
vexation. He therefore sometimes took me to walk with him, 
and see joiners, bricklayers, turners, braziers, etc., at their 
work, that he might observe my inclination, and endeavor to 
fix it on some trade or other on land. It has ever since been 
a pleasure to me to see good workmen handle their tools ; and 
it has been useful to me, having learned so much by it as to be 
able to do little jobs myself in my house when a workman 
could not readily be got, and to construct little machines for 
my experiments, w^hile the intention of making the experi- 
ment was fresh and warm in my mind. My father at iast 
fixed upon the cutler's trade, and my uncle Benjamin's son 
Samuel, who was bred to that business in London, being about 
that time established in Boston, I was sent to be with him 
some time on liking. But his expectations of a fee with me 
displeasing my father, I was taken home again. 

From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little money 
that came into my hands was ever laid out in books. Pleased 
with the Pilgrim's Progress, my first collection was of John 
Bunyan's works in separate little volumes. I afterward sold 
them to enable me to buy E. Burton's Historical Collections ; 
they were small chapmen's books, and cheap, 40 or 50 in all. 
My father's little library consisted chiefly of books in polemic 
divinity, most of which I read, and have since often regretted 
that, at a time when I had such a thirst for knowledge, more 



BENJAMIN FRANKLI^r. 15 

proper books had not fallen in my way, since it was now re- 
solved I should not be a clergyman. Plutarch's Lives there 
was in which I read abundantly, and I still think that time 
spent to great advantage. There was also a book of De Foe's, 
called an " Essay on Projects," and another of Dr. Mather's, 
called "Essays to do Good," which perhaps gave me a turn of 
thinking that had an influence on some of the principal future 
events of my life. 

This bookish inclination at length determined my father to 
make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of 
that profession. In 1717 my brother James returned from 
England with a press and letters to set up his business in Bos- 
ton. I liked it much better than that of my father, but still 
had a hankering for the sea. To prevent the apprehended 
effect of such an inclination, my father was impatient to have 
me bound to my brother. I stood out some time, but at last 
was persuaded, and signed the indentures when I was yet but 
twelve years old. I was to serve as an apprentice till I was 
twenty-one years of age, only I was to be allowed journeyman's 
wages during the last year. In a little time I made great pro- 
ficiency in the business, and became a useful hand to my 
brother. I now had access to better books. An acquaintance 
with the apprentices of booksellers enabled me sometimes to 
borrow a small one, which I was careful to return soon and 
clean. Often I sat up in my room reading the greatest part 
of the night, when the book was borrowed in the evening and 
to be returned early in the morning, lest it should be missed 
or wanted. 

And after some time an ingenious tradesman, Mr. Matthew 
Adams, who had a pretty collection of books, and who fre- 
quented our printing-house, took notice of me, invited me to his 
library, and very kindly lent me such books as I chose to read. 
I now took a fancy to poetry, and made some little pieces; 
my brother, thinking it might turn to account,' encouraged 

1. The street-ballad was a popular, and almost the only means of circulat- 
ing sensational news, and therefore a source of much profit to the printers. 
Every public event of importance was sure to be described in doggerel 
rhyme by some ballad-monger. 



16 BEXJAMIK FRANKLIN. 

me, and put me on composing occasional ballads. One was 
called " The Lighthouse Tragedy," and contained an account of 
the drowning of Captain "Worthilake, with his two daughters; 
the other was a sailor's song, on the taking of Teach (or Black- 
beard) the pirate.* They were w'retched stuff, in the Grub- 
street-ballad style; and when they were printed he sent me 
about the town to sell them. The first sold wonderfully, the 
event being recent, having made a great noise. This flattered 
my vanity; but my father discouraged me by ridiculing my 
performances, and telling me verse-makers were generally 
beggars. So I escaped being a poet, most probably a very 
bad one; but as prose wTiting has been of great use to me in 
the course of my life, and was a principal means of my ad- 
vancement, I shall tell you how, in such a situation, I acquired 
what little ability I have in that way. 

There was another bookish lad in the town, John Collins by 
name, with whom I was intimately acquainted. We sometimes 
disputed, and very fond we were of argument, and very desir- 
ous of confuting one another, which disputatious turn, by the 
way, is apt to become a very bad habit, making people often 
extremely disagreeable in company by the contradiction that 
is necessary to bring it into practice; and thence, besides sour- 
ing and spoiling the conversation, is productive of disgusts 
and perhaps enmities where you may have occasion for friend- 
ship. I had caught it by reading my father's books of dispute 
about religion. Persons of good sense, I have since observed, 
seldom fall into it, except lawyers, university men, and men 
of all sorts that have been bred at Edinburgh. 

A question was once, somehow or other, started between 
Collins and me, of the propriety of educating the female sex 
in learning, and their abilities for study. He was of opinion 



1. Worthilake was the keeper of the Boston Ligcht. John Teach was a 
pirate almost as famous as Captain Kidd. He was captured in Pamlico 
Sound after a desperate fight, fallinpr upon the deck of his own ship covered 
with wounds. " He was a boy's ideal of a pirate chief. His brow was low; 
his eyes were small; his huge, shaggy beard, black as a coal, hung far down 
upon his breast. Over his shoulders were three braces of pistols; in battle, 
lighted matches stuck out from under his hat and protruded from behind 
his ears. In his fits of rage he became a demon," 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 17 

that it was improper, and that they were naturally unequal to 
it. I took the contrary side, perhaps a little for dispute's sake. 
He was naturally more eloquent, had a ready plenty of words; 
and sometimes, as I thought, bore me down more by his flu- 
ency than, by the strength of his reasons. As we parted with- 
out settling the point, and were not to see one another again 
for some time, I sat down to put my arguments in writing, 
which I copied fair and sent to him. He answered, and I 
replied. Three or four letters of a side had passed, when my 
father happened to find my papers and read them. Without 
entering into the discussion, he took occasion to talk to me 
about the manner of my writing; observed that, though I had 
the advantage of my antagonist in correct spelling and point- 
ing (which I owed to the printing-house), I fell far short in 
elegance of expression, in method and in perspicuity, of which 
he convinced me by several instances. I saw the justice of 
his remarks, and thence grew more attentive to the manner in 
writing, and determined to endeavor at improvement. 

About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator } 
It was the third. I had never before seen any of them. I 
bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with 
it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, 
to imitate it. With this view I took some of the papers, and, 
making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid 
them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, 
tried to complete the papers again, by expressing each hinted 
sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed be^ 
fore, in any suitable words that should come to hand. Then 
I compared my Spectator v^'iih. the original, discovered some of 
my faults, and corrected them. But I found I wanted a stock 
of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them, which 
I thought I should have acquired before that time if I had 
gone on making verses; since the continual occasion for words 
of the same import, but of different length, to suit the measure, 



1. This "odd volume " was the third in the seven-vohinie edition into 
which the Spectator papers of Addison and Steele were gathered after their 
tirst appearance in periodical form. 



18 BENJA,MI^ FRANKLII^. 

or of different sound for the rhyme, would have laid me 
under a constant necessity of searching for variety, and also 
have tended to fix that variety in my mind, and make me 
master of it. Therefore I took some of the tales and turned 
them into verse; and, after a time, when I had pretty well for- 
gotten the prose, turned them back again. I also sometimes 
jumbled my collections of hints into confusion, and after 
some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, 
before I began to form the full sentences and complete the 
paper. This was to teach me method in the arrangement 
of thoughts. By comparing my work afterwards with the 
original, I discovered many faults and amended them; but 
I sometimes had the pleasure of fancj'ing that, in certain 
particulars of small import, I had been lucky enough to im- 
prove the method or the language, and this encouraged me to 
think I might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English 
writer, of which I was extremely ambitious. My time for 
these exercises and for reading was at night, after work or 
before it began in the morning, or on Sundays, when I con- 
trived to be in the printing-house alone, evading as much as 
I could the common attendance on public worship which my 
father used to exact of me when I was under his care, and 
which indeed I still thought a duty, though I could not, as it 
seemed to me, afford time to practice it. 

When about 16 years of age I happened to meet with a book, 
written by one Tryon, recommending a vegetable diet. I 
determined to go into it. My brother, being yet unmarried, 
did not keep house, but boarded himself and his apprentices 
in another family. My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an in- 
conveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity. I 
made mj^self acquainted with Tryon's manner of preparing 
some of his dishes, such as boiling potatoes or rice, making; 
hasty-pudding, and a few others, and then proposed to my, 
brother, that if he would give me, weekly, half the money he 
paid for my board, I would board myself. He instantly 
agreed to it, and I presently found that I could save half 
what he paid me. This was an additional fund for buying 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 19 

T30oks. But I had another advantage in it. My brother and 
the rest going from the printing-house to their meals, I re- 
mained there alone, and, dispatching presently my light repast, 
which often was no more than a biscuit or a slice of bread, a 
handful of raisins or a tart from the pastry-cook's, and a glass 
of water, had the rest of the time till their return for study, 
in which I made the greater progress, from that greater clear- 
ness of head and quicker apprehension which usually attend 
temperance in eating and drinking. 

And now it was that, being on some occasion made ashamed 
of my ignorance in figures, which I had twice failed in learn- 
ing when at school, I took Cocker's book of Arithmetic, and 
went through the whole by myself with great ease. I also 
read Sellers and Shermy's books of Navigation, and became 
acquainted with the little geometry they contain; but never 
proceeded far in that science. And I read about this time 
Locke " On Human Understanding," and the " Art of Think- 
ing," by Messrs. du Port Royal, ^ 

While I was intent on improving my language, I met with 
an English grammar (I think it was Greenwood's), at the end 
of which there were two little sketches of the arts of rhetoric 
and logic, the latter finishing with a specimen of a dispute in 
the Socratic method; and soon after I procured Xenophon's 
" Memorable Things of Socrates," wherein there are many in- 
stances of the same method. I was charmed with it, adopted 
it, dropped my abrupt contradiction and positive argumenta- 
tion, and put on the humble inquirer and doubter. And being 
then, from reading Shaftesbury and Collins,'' become a real 
doubter in many points of our religious doctrine, I found this 
method safest for myself and very embarrassing to those 
against whom I used it; therefore I took a delight in it, prac- 
ticed it continually, and grew very artful and expert in draw- 
ing people, even of superior knowledge, into concessions, the 

1. Members of the Port Royal School of Philosophy, who studied and 
wrote at the Abbey of Port Royal, near Versailles, in the seventeenth century. 

8. Earl of Shaftesbury and Anthony Collins, skeptical writers whose 
works, written in a brilliant and persuasive style, were at that time very 
popular and influential. 



20 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

consequences of which they did not foresee, entangling them in 
diflBculties out of which they could not extricate themselves, 
and so obtaining victories that neither myself nor my cause 
always deserved. I continued this method some few years, 
but gradually left it, retaining only the habit of expressing 
myself in terms of modest diffidence; never using, W'hen I ad- 
vanced anything that may possibly be . disputed, the w'ords 
certainly^ undoubtedly, or any others that give the air of posi- 
tiveness to an opinion; but rather say, I conceive or appre- 
hend a thing to be so and so; it appears to me, or / should 
think it so or so, for such and such reasons; or / imagine it 
to be so; or it is so, if I am not mistaken. This habit, I be- 
lieve, has been of great advantage to me when I have had 
occasion to inculcate my opinions, and persuade men into 
measures that I have been from time to time engaged in pro- 
moting; and, as the chief ends of conversation are to inform 
or to be informed, to please, or to persuade, I wish well- 
meaning, sensible men would not lessen their power of doing 
good by a positive, assuming manner, that seldom fails to 
disgust, tends to create opposition, and to defeat every one of 
those purposes for which speech was given to us, to wit, giv- 
ing or receiving information or pleasure.* For, if you w^ould 
inform, a positive and dogmatical manner in advancing your 
sentiments may provoke contradiction and prevent a candid 
attention. If you wish information and improvement from 
the knowledge of others, and yet at the same time express 
yourself as firmly fixed in your present opinions, modest, sen- 
sible men, w^ho do not love disputation, will probably leave 
you undisturbed in the possession of your error. And by 
such a manner you can seldom hope to recommend yourself 



1. The truth of this passage is illustrated by the whole of Franklin's 
remarkable diplomatic career. In this respect he was a striking contrast 
to the "positive, assuming" John Adams, whose honest indiscretions of 
speech often caused Franklm much trouble, while associateil with him in 
France. Adams wrote home complainingly of his colleague: " He loves his 
ease, hates to offend, and seldom gives any opinion till obliged to do it. . . . 
Although he has as determined a soul as any man, yet it is his constant 
policy never to say 'yes ' or ' no ' decidedly, but when he cannot avoid it." 



BENJAMIIf FRANKLIN. 21 

in pleasing your hearers, or to persuade those whose concur- 
rence you desire. Pope says, judiciously: 

" Men should be taught as if you taught them not. 
And things unknown proposed as things forgot; '• 

farther recommending to us 

" To speak, tho' sure, with seeming diffidence." 

And he might have coupled with this line that which he has 
coupled with another, I think, less properly: 

" For want of modesty is want of sense." 

If you ask, Why less properly ? I must repeat the lines: 

•' Immodest words admit of no defense, 
For want of modesty is want of sense." 

Now, is not want of sense (where a man is so unfortunate as 
to want it) some apology for his wa?it of modesty f and would 
not the lines stand more justly thus ? 

" Immodest words admit but this defense, 
That want of modesty is want of sense." 

This, however, I should submit to better judgments. 

My brother had, in 1720 or 1721, begun to print a news- 
paper. It was the second that appeared in America, and was 
called the New England Courant. The only one before it 
was the Boston News Letter ^ I remember his being dis- 
suaded by some of his friends from the undertaking, as not 
likely to succeed, one newspaper being, in their judgment, 
enough for America. At this time (1771) there are not less 
than five-and-twenty. He went on, however, with the under- 
taking, and after having worked in composing the types and 
printing off the sheets, I was employed to carry the papers 
through the streets to the customers. 

He had some ingenious men among his friends, who amused 



3. Franklin's memory misled him here. Tiie Courant was the fourth 
newspaper that appeared in Ameiica. The Boston News Letter appeared 
in 1704; the Boston Gazette, in 1719; the American Mercury a.t Philadelphia, 
and the Courant, in 1721. In 1775 there were thirty-seven newspapers in 
circulation; at the end of the Revolution there were forty-three. 



22 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

themselves by writing little pieces for this paper, which gained 
it credit and made it more in demand, and these gentlemen 
often visited us. Hearing their conversations and their ac- 
counts of the approbation their papers were received with, I 
was excited to try my hand among them; but, being still a 
boy, and suspecting that my brother would object to printing 
anything of mine in his paper if he knew it to be mine, I 
contrived to disguise my hand, and, writing an anonymous 
paper, I put it in at night under the door of the printing- 
house. It was found in the morning, and communicated to 
his writing friends when they called in as usual. They read 
it, commented on it in my hearing, and I had the exquisite 
pleasure of finding it met with their approbation, and that, in 
their different guesses at the author, none were named but 
men of some character among us for learning and ingenuity. 
I suppose now that I was rather lucky in my judges, and th;it 
perhaps they were not really so very good ones as I then es- 
teemed them. 

Encouraged, however, by this, I wrote and conveyed in the 
same way to the prigss several more papers, which were equally 
approved ; and I kept my secret till my small fund of sense 
for such performances was pretty well exhausted, and then 1 
discovered it, when I began to be considered a little more by 
my brother's acquaintance, and in a manner that did not 
quite please him, as he thought, probably with reason, that it 
tended to make me too vain. And perhaps this might be one 
occasion of the differences that we began to have about this 
time. Though a brother, he considered himself as my master, 
and me as his apprentice, and accordingly expected the same 
services from me as he would from another, while I thought 
he demeaned me too much in some he required of me, who 
from a brother expected more indulgence. Our disputes were 
often brought before our father, and I fancy I was either 
generally in the right, or else a better pleader, because the 
judgment was generally in my favor. But my brother was 
passionate, and had often beaten me, which I took extremely 
amiss ; and, thinking my apprenticeship very tedious, I was 



BENJAMIN FRANFCLTN. 23 

continually wishing for some opportunity of shortening it, 
which at length offered in a manner unexpected.' 

One of the pieces in our newspaper on some political point, 
which I have now forgotten, gave offense to the Assembly. 
He was taken up, censured, and imprisoned for a month, by 
the Speaker's warrant, I suppose, because he would not dis- 
cover his author. I too was taken up and examined before 
the council ; but, though I did not give them any satisfaction, 
they contented themselves with admonishing me, and dis- 
missed me, considering me, perhaps, as an apprentice, who 
was bound to keep his master's secrets. 

During my brother's confinement, which I resented a good 
deal, notwithstanding our private differences, I had the man- 
agement of the paper ; and I made bold to give our rulers 
some rubs in it, which my brother took very kindly, while 
others began to consider me in an unfavorable light, as a 
young genius that had a turn for libeling and satire. My 
brother's discharge was accompanied with an order of the 
House (a very odd one), that ""James Franklin sJwuId no 
longer print the ])aper called the New England Courant.'''' 

There was a consultation held in our printing-house among 
his friends, what he should do in this case. Some proposed 
to evade the order by changing the name of the paper ; but 
my brother seeing inconveniences in that, it was finally con- 
cluded on as a better way, to let it be printed for the future 
under the name of Benjamin Franklin ; and to avoid the cen- 
sure of the Assembly, that might fall on him as still printing 
it by his apprentice, the contrivance was that my old indenture 
should be returned to me, with a full discharge on the back 
of it, to be shown on occasion, but to secure to him the bene- 
fit of my service I was to sign new indentures for the re- 
mainder of the term, which were to be kept private. A very 
flimsy scheme it was ; however, it was immediately executed, 
and the paper went on accordingly, under my name for 
several months. 

» Franklin here adds in a note : " I fancy his harsh and tyrannical treat- 
ment of me might be a means of impressing me with that aversion to arbi- 
trary power that has stuck to me through my whole life." 



24 BENJAMIN" FRANKLIN. 

At length, a fresh difFerence arising between my brother 
and me, I took upon me to assert my freedom, presuming that 
lie would not venture to produce the new indentures. It was 
not fair in me to take this advantage, and this I therefore 
reckon one of the first errata of my life ; but the unfairness 
of it weighed little with me, when under the impressions of 
resentment for the blows his passion too often urged him to 
bestow upon me, though he was otherwise not an ill-natured 
man : perhaps I was too saucy and provoking. 

When he found I would leave him, he took care to prevent my 
getting employment in any other printing-house of the town, 
by going round and speaking to every master, who accord- 
ingly refused to give me work. I then thought of going to 
New York, as the nearest place where there was a printer ; 
and I was rather inclined to leave Boston when I reflected 
that I had already made myselt' a little obnoxious to the gov- 
erning party, and, from the arbitrary proceedings of the 
Assembly in my brother's case, it was likely I might, if I 
stayed, soon bring myself into scrapes; and farther, that my 
indiscreet disputations about religion began to make me 
pointed at with horror by good people as an infidel or atheist. 
I determined on the point, but my father now siding with my 
brother, I was sensible that, if I attempted to go openly, means 
would be used to prevent me. My friend Collins, therefore, 
undertook to manage a little forme. He agreed with the cap- 
tain of a New York sloop for my passage, under the notion of 
my being a young acquaintance of his, that had got [into 
trouble], and therefore I could not appear or come away pub- 
licly. So I sold some of my books to raise a little money, was 
taken on board privately, and as we had a fair wind, in three 
days I found myself in New York, near 300 miles from home, 
a boy of but 17, without the least recommendation to, or 
knowledge of any person in the place, and with very little 
money in my pocket. 

My inclinations for the sea were by this time worn out, or I 
might now have gratified them. But, having a trade, and 
supposing myself a pretty good workman, I offered my service 



13ENJAMIK FRAKKLIK. 25 

to the printer in the place, old Mr. AVilliara Bradford, who had 
been the first printer in Pennsylvania, but removed from 
thence upon the quarrel of George Keith. He could give me 
no employment, having little to do, and help enough already; 
but says he, " My son at Philadelphia has lately lost his prin- 
cipal hand, Aquila Rose, by death ; if you go thither, I be- 
lieve he may employ you." Philadelphia was a hundred miles 
further ; I set out, however, in a boat for Amboy, leaving my 
chest and things to follow me round by sea. 

In crossing the bay, we met with a squall that tore our 
rotten sails to pieces, prevented our getting into the Kill, and 
drove us upon Long Island. In our way a drunken Dutch- 
man, who was a passenger too, fell overboard ; when he was 
sinking, I reached through the water to his shock pate and 
drew him up, so that we got him in again. His ducking 
sobered him a little, and he went to sleep, taking first out of 
his pocket a book, which he desired I would dry for him. It 
proved to be my old favorite author, Bunyan's ''Pilgrim's 
Progress," in Dutch, finely printed on good paper, with copper 
cuts, a dress better than I had ever seen it wear in its own 
language. I have since found that it has been translated into 
most of the languages of Europe, and suppose it has been 
more generally read than any other book, except perhaps the 
Bible. Honest John was the first that I know of who mixed 
narration and dialogue; a method of writing very engaging to 
the reader, who in the most interesting parts finds himself, as 
it were, brought into the company and present at the dis- 
course. De Foe in his " Crusoe," his " Moll Flanders," "Re- 
ligious Courtship," "Family Instructor," and other pieces, 
has imitated it with success ; and Richardson has done the 
same in his "Pamela," etc. 

When we drew near the island, we found it was at a place 
where there could be no landing, there being a great surf on 
the stony beach. So we dropped anchor, and swung round 
towards the shore. Some people came down to the water 
edge and halloed to us, as we did to them ; but the wind was 
so high, and the surf so loud, that we could not hear so as to 



26 BENJAMIxN" FRANKLIN-. 

understand each other. There were canoes on the shore, and 
we made signs, and halloed that they should fetch us; but 
they either did not understand us, or thought it impractica- 
ble, so they went away, and night coming on, we had no 
remedy but to wait till the wind should abate; and, in the 
meantime, the boatman and I concluded to sleep, if we could ; 
and so crowded into the scuttle, with the Dutchman, who was 
still wet, and the spray beating over the head of our boat, 
leaked through to us, so that we were soon almost as wet as 
he. In this manner we lay all night, with very little rest ; 
but the wind abating the next day, we made a shift to reach 
Amboy before night, having been thirty hours on the water, 
without victuals, or any drink but a bottle of filthy rum, the 
water we sailed on being salt. 

In the evening T found myself very feverish, and went in to 
bed ; but, having read somewhere that cold water drank 
plentifully was good for a fever, I followed the prescription, 
sweat plentifully most of the night, my fever left me, and in 
the morning, crossing the ferry, I proceeded on my journey 
on foot, having fifty miles to Burlington, where I was told I 
should find boats that would carry me the rest of the way to 
Philadelphia. 

It rained very hard all the day; I was thoroughly soaked, 
and by noon a good deal tired; so I stopped at a poor inn, 
where I stayed all night, beginning now to wish that I had 
never left home. I cut so miserable a figure, too, that I 
found, by the questions asked me, I was suspected to be some 
runaway servant, and in danger of being taken up on that 
suspicion. However, T proceeded the next day, and got in 
the evening to an inn, within eight or ten miles of Burlington, 
kept by one Dr. Brown. He entered into conversation with 
me while I took some refreshment, and, finding I had read a 
little became very sociable and friendly. Our acquaintance 
continued as long as he lived. He had been, I imagine, an 
itinerant doctor, for there was no town in England, or 
country in Europe, of whiclThe could not give a very particu- 
lar account. He had some letters, and was ingenious but 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 27 

much of an unbeliever, and wickedly undertook, some years 
after, to travesty the Bible in doggerel verse, as Cotton had 
done Virgil. By this means he set many of the tacts in a 
very ridiculous light, and might have hurt weak minds if his 
work had been published; but it never was. 

At his house I lay that night, and the next morning reached 
Burlington, but had the mortification to find that the regular 
boats were gone a little before my coming, and no other 
expected to go before Tuesday, this being Saturday; where- 
fore I returned to an old woman in the town, of whom I had 
bought gingerbread to eat on the water, and asked lier advice. 
Slie invited me to lodge at her house till a passage by water 
should offer; and being tired with my foot traveling, I 
accepted the invitation. She, understanding I was a printer, 
would have had me stay at that town and follow my business, 
being ignorant of the stock necessary to begin with. She 
was very hospitable, gave me a dinner of ox-cheek with great 
good-will, accepting only of a pot of ale in return; and I 
thought myself fixed till Tuesday should come. However, 
walking in the evening by the side of the river, a boat came 
by, which I found was going towards Philadelphia, with 
several people in her. They took me in, and, as there was no 
wind, we rowed all the way; and about midnight, not having 
yet seen the city, some of the company were confident we 
must have passed it, and would row no farther; the others 
knew not where we were; so we put toward the shore, got 
into a creek, landed wear an old fence, with the rails of which 
we made a fire, the night being cold, in October, and there 
we remained till daylight. Then one of the company knew 
the place to be Cooper's Creek, a little above Philadelphia, 
which we saw as soon as we got out of the creek, and arrived 
there about eight or nine o'clock on the Sunday morning, and 
landed at the Market-street wharf.' 

1. There were at this time but two roads between New York and Phila- 
delphia, one of which was little more than a bridle-path; the other, which 
Franklin followed from Amboy to Bm-lington, led for miles through an un- 
inhabited country. The ahnanacs of the time, which served as guide-books, 
mention but four places where the traveler could get rest and refreshment, 
one of which was Dr. Brown's. 



28 BEKJAMIK FRANKLIK. 

I have been the more particular in this description of my 
journey, and shall be so of my first entry into that city, that 
you may in your mind compare such unlikely beginnings with 
the figure I have since made there. I was in my working 
dress, my best clothes being to come round by sea. I was 
dirty from my journey; my pockets were stuffed out with 
shirts and stockings, and I knew no soul nor where to look 
for lodging. 1 was fatigued with traveling, rowing, and 
want of rest; I was very hungry; and my whole stock of cash 
consisted of a Dutch dollar and about a shilling in copper. 
The latter I gave the people of the boat for my passage, who 
at first refused it, on account of my rowing; but I insisted on 
their taking it. A man being sometimes more generous when 
he has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps 
through fear of being thought to have but little. 

Then I walked up the street, gazing about till near the 
market-house I met a boy with bread. I had made many a 
meal on bread, and, inquiring where he got it, I went 
immediately to the baker's he directed me to, in Second 
Street, and asked for biscuit, intending such as we had in 
Boston; but they, it seems, were not made in Philadelphia. 
Then I asked for a three-penny loaf, and was told they had 
none such. So not considering or knowing the difference of 
money and the greater cheapness, nor the names of his bread, 
I bade him give me three-penny worth of any sort. He gave 
me, accordingly, three great puffy rolls. I was surprised at 
the quantity, but took it, and, having no room in my pockets, 
walked off with a roll under each arm, and eating the other. 
Thus I went up Market Street as far as Fourth Street, passing 
by the door of Mr. Eead, my future wife's father ; when she, 
standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I cer- 
tainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance. Then I 
turned and went down Chestnut Street and part of Walnut 
Street, eating my roll all the way, and, coming round, found 
myself again at Market-street wharf, near the boat I came in, 
to which I went for a draught of the river water; and, being 
filled with one of my rolls, gave the other two to a woman 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 29 

and her child that came down the river in the boat with us, 
and were waiting to go farther. 

Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which by this 
time had many clean-dressed people in it, who were all walk- 
ing the same way. I joined them, and thereby was led into the 
great meeting-house of the Quakers near the market. I sat 
down among them, and, after looking round awhile and hear- 
ing nothing said, being very drowsy through labor and want of 
rest the preceding night, I fell fast asleep, and continued so 
till the meeting broke up, when one was kind enough to rouse 
me. This was, therefore, the first house I was in, or slept in, 
in Philadelphia. 

Walking down again toward the river, and, looking in the 
faces of people, I met a young Quaker man whose countenance 
I liked, and, accosting him, requested he would tell me where 
a stranger could get lodging. We were then near the sign of 
the Three Mariners, " Here," says he, " is one place that en- 
tertains strangers, but it is not a reputable house; if thee wilt 
walk with me I'll show thee a better." He brought me to the 
Crooked Billet,^ in Water Street. Here I got a dinner; and, 
while I was eating it, several sly questions were asked me, as 
it seemed to be suspected from my youth and appearance that 
I might be some runaway. 

After dinner my sleepiness returned, and being shown to a 
bed, I lay down without undressing, and slept till six in the 
evening, was called to supper, went to bed again very early, 
and slept soundly till next morning. Then I made myself as 
tidy as I could, and went to Andrew Bradford, the printer's. 
I found in the shop the old man his father, whom I had seen 
at New York, and who, travelling on horseback, had got to 
Philadelphia before me. He introduced me to his son, who 
received me civilly, gave me a breakfast, but told me he did 
not at present want a hand, being lately supplied with one; 



1. At this time city houses were not numbered, and the streets presented 
a curious display of crowns, scepters, rainbows, dog:s, elephants, painted 
Indians, horse-shoes, etc., by which houses frequented by the public were 
individuaUzed. Just as in old London, where Milton was born "at the 
sign of the Spread Eagle." 



30 BEXJAMIX FRANKLIN. 

but there was another printer in town, lately set up, one 
Keimer, who, perhaps, might employ me; if not, I should be 
welcome to lodge at his house, and he would give me a little 
work to do now and then till fuller business should offer. 

The old gentleman said he would go with me to the new 
printer; and when w^e found him, "Neighbor," says Bradford, 
" I have brought to see you a young man of your business; 
perhaps you maj^ want such a one." He asked me a few ques- 
tions, put a composing-stick in my hand to see how I worked, 
and then said he would employ me soon, though he had just 
then nothing for me to do; and, taking old Bradford, whom 
he had never seen before, to be one of the townspeople that 
had a good will for him, entered into a conversation on his 
present undertaking and prospects ; while Bradford, not dis- 
covering that he was the other printer's father, on Keimer's 
saying he expected soon to get the greatest part of the business 
into his own hands, drew him on by artful questions, and 
starting little doubts, to explain all his views, what interest 
he relied on, and in what manner he intended to proceed. I, 
who stood by and heard all, saw immediately that one of them 
was a crafty old sophister, and the other a mere novice. 
Bradford left me with Keimer, who was greatly surprised 
when I told him who the old man was. 

Keimer's printing-house, I found, consisted of an old shat- 
tered prass and one small, worn-out font of English,^ which 
he was then using himself, composing an Elegy on Aquila 
Rose, before mentioned, an ingenious young man, of excellent 
character, much respected in the town, clerk of the Assembly, 
and a pretty poet. Keimer made verses too, but very indif- 
ferently. He could not be said to write them, for his manner 
was to compose them in the types directly out of his head. 
So there being no copy, but one pair of cases, and the Elegy 
likely to require all the letter, no one could help him. I en- 
deavored to put his press (which he had not yet used, and of 
which he understood nothing) into order fit to be worked 

1. English.— A kind of type. 



BENJAMIN FliANKLIN. 31 

with; and promising to come and print off his Elegy as soon 
as he should have got it read}-, I returned to Bradford's, who 
gave me a little job to do for the present, and there I lodged 
and dieted. A few days after, Keimer sent for me to print off 
the Elegy. And now he had got another pair of cases, and a 
pamphlet to reprint, on which he set me to work. 

These two printers I found poorly qualified for their busi- 
ness. Bradford had not been bred to it, and was very illiter- 
ate; and Keimer, though something of a scholar, was a mere 
compositor, knowing nothing of presswork. He had been 
one of the French prophets,' and could act their enthusiastic 
agitations. At this time he did not profess any particular 
religion, but something of all on occasion; was very ignorant 
of the world, and had, as I afterward found, a good deal of 
the knave in his composition. He did not like my lodging at 
Bradford's while I worked with him. He had a house, in- 
deed, but without furniture, so he could not lodge me; but he 
got me a lodging at Mr. Read's, before mentioned, who was 
the owner of his house; and, my chest and clothes being come 
by this time, I made rather a more respectable appearance in 
the eyes of Miss Read than I had done when she first happened 
to see me eating my roll in the street. 

I began now to have some acquaintance among the young 
people of the town, that were lovers of reading, with whom I 
spent my evenings very pleasantly ; and gaining money by my 
industry and frugality, I lived very agreeably, forgetting. Bos- 
ton as much as I could, and not desiring that any there should 
know where I resided, except my friend Collins, who was in 
my secret, and kept it when I wrote to him. At length an in- 
cident happened that sent me back again much sooner than I 
had intended. I had a brother-in-law, Robert Holmes, master 
of a sloop that traded between Boston and Delaware. He be- 
ing at Newcastle, forty miles below Philadelphia, heard there 
of me, and wrote me a letter mentioning the concern of my 
friends in Boston at my abrupt departure, assuring me of their 

1. French prophets.— Probably' a sect of French Protestants known as 
Canilsards, persecuted by Louis XlV. 



33 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

good-will to me, and that everything would be accommodated 
to my mind if I would return, to which he exhorted me very 
earnestly. I wrote an answer to his letter, thanked him for 
his advice, but stated my reasons for quitting Boston full}', 
and in such a light as to convince him I was not so wrong as 
he had apprehended. 

Sir William Keith, governor of the province, wa^: then at 
Newcastle, and Captain Holmes, happening to be in company 
with him when my letter came to hand, spoke to him of me, 
and showed him the letter. The governor read it, and seemed 
surprised when he was told my age. He said I appeared a 
young man of promising parts, and therefore should be en- 
couraged; the printers at Philadelphia were wretched ones; 
and, if I would set up there, he made no doubt I should suc- 
ceed; for his part, he would procure me the public business, 
and do me every other service in his power. This my brother- 
in-law afterwards told me in Boston, but I knew as yet noth- 
ing of it; when, one day, Keimer and I being at work together 
near the window, we saw the governor and another gentleman 
(which proved to be Colonel French, of Newcastle), finely 
dressed, come directly across the street to our house, and 
heard them at the door. 

Keimer ran down immediately, thinking it a visit to him ; 
but the governor inquired for me, came up, and with a con- 
descension and politeness I had been quite unused to, made 
me many compliments, desired to be acquainted with me, 
blamed me kindly for not having made myself known to hitn 
when I first came to the place, and would have me away with 
him to the tavern, where he was going with Colonel French to 
taste, as he said, some excellent Madeira. I was not a little 
surprised, and Keimer stared like a pig poisoned. I went, 
however, with the governor and Colonel French to a tavern, 
at the corner of Third Street, and over the Madeira he pro- 
posed my setting up my business, laid before me the proba- 
bilities of success, and both he and Colonel French assured 
me I should have their interest and influence in procuring 
the public business of both governments. On my doubting 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 33 

whether my father would assist me in it, Sir William said he 
would give me a letter to him, in which he would state the 
advantages, and he did not doubt of prevailing with him. So 
it was concluded I should return to Boston in the first vessel, 
with the governor's letter recommending me to my father. 
In the mean time the intention w^as to be kept a secret, and I 
w^ent on working with Keimer as usual, the governor sending 
for me now and then to dine with him, a very great honor I 
thought it, and conversing with me in the most affable, 
familiar, and friendly manner imaginable. 

About the end of April, 1724, a little vessel offered for 
Boston. I took leave of Keimer as going to see my friends. 
The governor gave me an ample letter, saying many flattering 
things of me to my father, and strongly recommending the 
project of my setting up at Philadelphia as a thing that must 
make my fortune. TVe struck on a shoal in going down the 
bay, and sprung a leak ; we had a blustering time at sea, and 
were obliged to pump almost continually, at which I took my 
turn. We arrived safe, however, at Boston in about a fort- 
night. I had been absent seven months, and my friends had 
heard nothing of me ; for my brother Holmes was not yet re- 
turned, and had not written about me. My unexpected ap- 
pearance surprised the family ; all were, however, very glad to 
see me, and made me welcome, except my brother. I went to 
see him at his printing-house. I was better dressed than ever 
while in his service, having a genteel new suit from head to 
foot, a watch, and my pockets lined with near five pounds 
sterling in silver. He received me not very frankly, looked 
me all over, and turned to his work again. 
' The journeymen were inquisitive where I had been, what 
sort of a country it was, and how I liked it. I praised it 
much, and the happy life I led in it, expressing strongly my 
intention of returning to it ; and, one of them asking what 
kind of money we had there, I produced a handful of silver, 
and spread it before them, which was a kind of raree-show 
they had not been used to, paper being the money of Boston. 
Then I took an opportunity of letting them see my watch; 



34 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

and, lastly (my brother still grum and sullen), I gave them a 
piece of eight * to drink, and took my leave. This visit of 
mine offended him extremely ; for, when my mother some 
time after spoke to him of a reconciliation, and of her wishes 
to see us on good terms together, and that we might live for 
the future as brothers, he said I had insulted him in such a 
manner before his people that he could never forget or forgive 
it. In this, however, he was mistaken. 

My father received the governor's letter with some apparent 
surprise, but said little of it to me for several days, when 
Capt. Holmes returning he showed it to him, asked him if he 
knew Keith, and what kind of man he was ; adding his opin- 
ion that he must be of small discretion to think of setting a 
boy up in business who wanted yet three years of being at 
man's estate. Holmes said what he could in favor of the 
project, but my father was clear in the impropriety of it, and 
at last gave a flat denial to it. Then he wrote a civil letter to 
Sir AVilliam, thanking him for tlie patronage he had so kindly 
offered me, but declining to assist me as yet in setting up, I 
being, in his opinion, too young to be trusted with the man- 
agement of a business so important, and for which the prep- 
aration must be so expensive. 

My friend and companion Collins, who was a clerk in the 
post-office, pleased with the account I gave him of my new 
country, determined to go thither also ; and, while I waited 
for my father's determination, he set out before me by land 
to Rhode Island, leaving his books, which were a pretty col- 
lection of mathematics and natural philosophy, to come with 
mine and me to New York, where he proposed to wait for me. 

My father, though he did not approve Sir William's propo- 
sition, was yet pleased that I had been able to obtain so 



1. Piece of eight.— A Spanish dollar, or piaster, equal in value to eigrht 
reals. All coins were of foreigrn coinage, and therefore in great variety. 
Besides the familiar shillinp:s and sixpences, there were such coins as the 
picayune, pistareen, joe. moidore. and pistole. Each province fixed its own 
value for the various coins, and issti^d its own paper money. It was an 
important part of the traininsr ju school to learn to translate the money 
values of one province into those df another. There was no national money 
until 1793. 



BEKJAMIK FRAKKLIK. 35 

advantageous a character from a person of such note where I 
had resided, and that I had been so industrious and careful 
as to equip myself so handsomely in so short a time ; there- 
fore, seeing no prospect of an accommodation between my 
brother and me, he gave his consent to my returning again to 
Philadelphia, advised me to behave respectfully to the people 
there, endeavor to obtain the general esteem, and avoid 
lampooning and libeling, to which he thought I had too much 
inclination ; telling me, that by steady industry and a pru- 
dent parsimony I might save enough by the time I was one- 
and-twenty to set me up ; and that, if I came near the matter, 
he would help me out with the rest. This was all I could ob- 
tain, except some small gifts as tokens of his and my mother's 
love, when I embarked again for New York, now Mdth their 
approbation and their blessing. 

The sloop putting in at Newport, Rhode Island, I visited 
my brother John, who had been married and settled there 
some years. He received me very affectionately, for he 
always loved me. A friend of his, one Vernon, having some 
money due to him in Pennsylvania, about thirty-five pounds 
currency, desired I w^ould receive it for him, and keep it till I 
had his directions what to remit it in. Accordingly, he gave 
me an order. This afterwards occasioned me a good deal of 
uneasiness. 

At Newport we took in a number of passengers for New 
York, among which were two young women, companions, 
and a grave, sensible, matron-like Quaker woman, with her 
attendants. I had shown an obliging readiness to do her 
some little services, which impressed her I suppose with a 
degree of good-will toward me ; therefore, when she saw a 
daily growing familiarity between me and the two young 
women, w^hich they appeared to encourage, she took me aside, 
and said, " Young man, I am concerned for thee, as thou has 
no friend with thee, and seems not to know much of the 
world, or of the snares youth is exposed to ; depend upon it, 
those are very bad women ; I can see it in all their actions ; 
and if thee art not upon thy guard, they will draw thee into 



36 BEKJAMIK FRANKLIK. 

some danger ; they are strangers to thee, and I advise thee, in 
a friendly concern for thy welfare, to have no acquaintance 
with them." As I seemed at first not to think so ill of them 
as she did, she mentioned some things she had observed and 
heard that had escaped my notice, but now convinced me she 
was right. I thanked her for her kind advice, and promised 
to follow it. When we arrived at New York, they told me 
where they lived, and invited me to come and see them ; but 
I avoided it, and it was well I did ; for the next day the cap- 
tain missed a silver spoon and some other things, that had 
been taken out of his cabin, and, ... he got a warrant to 
search their lodgings, found the stolen goods, and had the 
thieves punished. So, though we had escaped a sunken rock, 
which we scraped upon in the passage, I thought this escape 
of rather more importance to me. 

At New York I found my friend Collins, who had arrived 
there some time before me. We had been intimate from chil- 
dren, and had read the same books together ; but he had the 
advantage of more time for reading and studying, and a won- 
derful genius for mathematical learning, in which he far out- 
outstripped me. While I lived in Boston, most of my hours of 
leisure for conversation were spent with him, and he contin- 
ued a sober as well as an industrious lad ; was much respected 
for his learning by several of the clergy and other gentlemen, 
and seemed to promise making a good figure in life. But, 
during my absence, he had acquired a habit of sotting with 
brandy ; and I found by his own account, and what I heard 
from others, that he had been drunk every day since his 
arrival at New York, and behaved very oddly. He had 
gamed, too, and lost his money, so that I was obliged to dis- 
charge his lodgings, and defray his expenses to and at Phila- 
delphia, which proved extremely inconvenient to me. 

The then governor of New York, Burnet (son of Bishop 
Burnet), hearing from the captain that a young man, one of 
his passengers, had a great many books, desired he would 
bring me to see him. I waited upon him accordingly, and 
should have taken Collins with me but that he was not sober. 



benjami:n^ ekanklik. 37 

The governor treated me with great civility, showed me his 
library, which was a very large one, and we had a good deal 
of conversation about books and authors. This was the sec- 
ond governor who had done me the honor to take notice of 
me; which, to a poor boy like me, was very pleasing. 

We proceeded to Philadelphia. I received on the way Ver- 
non's money, without which we could hardly have finished 
our journey. Collins wished to be employed in some counting- 
house ; but, whether they discovered his dramming by his 
breath, or by his behavior, though he had some recommenda- 
tions, he met with no success in any application, and contin- 
ued lodging and boarding at the same house with me, and at 
my expense. Knowing I had that money of Vernon's, he was 
continually borrowing of me, still promising repayment as 
soon as he should be in business. At length he had got so 
much oi it that I was distressed to think what I should do in 
ease of being called on to remit it. 

His drinking continued, about which we sometimes quar- 
reled ; for, when a little intoxicated, he was very fractious. 
Once, in a boat on the Delaware with some other young men, 
he refused to row in his turn. " I will be rowed home," says, 
he. " We will not row you," says I. " You must, or stay all 
night on the water," says he, "just as you please." The 
others said, " Let us row ; w^hat signifies it ?" But, my mind 
being soured with his other conduct, I continued to refuse. 
So he swore he would make me row, or throw" me overboard; 
and coming along, stepping on the thwarts, toward me, when 
he came up and struck at me, I clapped my hand under his 
crotch, and, rising, pitched him head-foremost into the river. 
I knew he was a good swimmer, and so was under little con- 
cern about him ; but before he could get round to lay hold of 
the boat, we had with a few strokes pulled her out of his 
reach ; and ever when he drew near the boat, we asked if he 
would row, striking a few strokes to slide her away from him. 
He was ready to die with vexation, and obstinately would not 
promise to row. However, seeing him at last beginning to 
tire, we lifted him in and brought him home dripping wet in 



38 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

the evening. We hardly exchanged a civil word afterwards, 
and a West India captain, who had a commission to procure 
a tutor for the sons of a gentleman at Barbadoes, happening 
to meet with him, agreed to carry him thither. He left me 
then, promising to remit me the first money he should receive 
in order to discharge the debt; but I never heard of him after. 

The breaking into this money of Vernon's was one of the 
first great errata of my life ; and this affair showed that my 
father was not much out in his judgment when he supposed 
me too young to manage business of importance. But Sir 
William, on reading his letter, said he was too prudent. 
There was great difference in persons ; and discretion did not 
always accompany years, nor was youth always without it. 
" And since he will not set you up," says he, "I will do it my- 
self. Give me an inventory of the things necessary to be had 
from England, and I will send for them. You shall repay me 
when you are able ; I am resolved to have a good printer here, 
and I am sure you must succeed." This was spoken with such 
an appearance of cordiality, that 1 had not the least doubt of 
his meaning what he said. I had hitherto kept the proposi- 
tion of my setting up a secret in Philadelphia, and I still kept 
it. Had it been known that I depended on the governor, 
probably some friend, that knew him better, would have ad- 
vised me not to rely on him, as I afterwards heard it as his 
known character to be liberal of promises which he never 
meant to keep. Yet, unsolicited as he was by me, how could 
I think his generous offers insincere ? I believed him one of 
the best men in the world. 

I presented him an inventory of a little printing-house, 
amounting by my computation to about one hundred pounds 
sterling. He liked it, but asked me if my being on the spot in 
England to choose the types, and see that everything was 
good of the kind, might not be of some advantage. "Then," 
says he, "when there, you may make acquaintances, and es- 
tablish correspondences in the bookselling and stationery way." 
I agreed that this might be advantageous. " Then," says he, 
"get yourself ready to go with Annis; " which was the annu^ 



BEJS^JAMIIs FRANKLIN. 39 

ship, and the only one at that time usually passing between 
London and Philadelphia. But it would be some months be- 
fore Annis sailed, so I continued working with Keiraer, fret- 
ting about the money Collins had got from me, and in daily 
apprehensions of being called upon by Yernon, which, how- 
ever, did not happen for some years after. 

I believe I have omitted mentioning that, in my first voy- 
age from Boston, being becalmed off Block Island, our people 
set about catching cod, and hauled up a great many. Hitherto 
I had stuck to my resolution of not eating animal food, and 
on this occasion I considered, with my master Tryon, the tak- 
ing every fish as a kind of unprovoked murder, since none of 
them had, or ever could do us any injury that might justify 
the slaughter. All this seemed very reasonable. But I had 
formerly been a great lover of fish, and, when this came hot 
out of the frying-pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanced 
some time between principle and inclination, till I recollected 
that, when the fish were opened, I saw smaller fish taken out 
of their stomachs ; then thought I, "If you eat one another, I 
don't see wiiy we mayn't eat you." So I dined upon cod very 
heartily, and continued to eat with other people, returning 
only now and then occasionally to a vegetable diet. So con- 
venient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it en- 
ables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a 
mind to do. 

Keimer and I lived on a pretty good familiar footing, and 
agreed tolerably well, for he suspected nothing of my setting 
up. He retained a great deal of his old enthusiasms and 
loved argumentation. We therefore had many disputations. 
I used to work him so with my Socratic method, and had tre- 
panned him so often by questions apparently so distant from 
any point we had in hand, and yet by degrees led to the 
point, and brought him into difficulties and contradictions, 
that, at last he grew ridiculously cautious, and would hardly 
answer me the most common question, without asking first : 
" What do you intend to infer from that?'^ However, it 
gave him so high an opinion of my abilities in the confuting 



40 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

way, that he seriously proposed my being his colleague in a 
project he had of setting up a new sect. He was to preach the 
doctrines, and I was to confound all opponents. When he 
came to explain with me upon the doctrines, I found several 
conundrums which I objected to, unless I might have my way 
a little too, and introduce some of mine. 

Keimer wore his beard at full length, because somewhere in 
the Mosaic law it is said, " Thou shalt not mar the corners of 
thy beard."" He likewise kept the Seventh day. Sabbath ; and 
these two points were essentials with him. I disliked both ; 
but agreed to admit them upon condition of his adopting the 
doctrine of using no animal food. " I doubt," said he, " my 
constitution will not bear that." I assured him it would, and 
that he would be better for it. He was usually a great glut- 
ton, and I promised myself some diversion in half-starving 
him. He agreed to try the practice, if I would keep him com- 
pany. I did so, and we held it for three months. We had our 
victuals dressed, and brought to us regularly by a woman in 
the neighborhood, who had from me a list of forty dishes, to 
be prepared for us at different times, in all which there was 
neither fish, flesh, nor fowl, and the whim suited me the bet- 
ter at this time from the cheapness of it, not costing us above 
eighteen pence sterling each per week. I have since kept sev- 
eral Lents most strictly, leaving the common diet for that, 
and that for the common, abruptly, without the least incon- 
venience, so that I think there is little in the advice of making 
those changes by easy gradations. I went on pleasantly, but 
poor Keimer suffered grievously, tired of the project, longed 
for the flesh-pots of Egypt, and ordered a roast pig. He in- 
vited me and two women friends to dine with him ; but, it 
being brought too soon upon the table, he could not resist the 
temptation, and ate the whole before we came. 

I had made some courtship during this time to Miss Read. 
I had a great respect and affection for her, and had some 
reason to believe she had the same for me ; but, as I was 
about to take a long voyage, and we were both very young, 
only a little above eighteen, it was thought most prudent by 



BEN^JAMIN FRANKLIIT. 41 

her mother to prevent our going too far at present, as a mar- 
riage, if it was to take place, would be more convenient after 
my return, when I should be, as I expected, set up in my bus- 
iness. Perhaps, too, she thought my expectations not so well 
founded as I imagined them to be. 

My chief acquaintances at this time were Charles Osborne, 
Joseph Watson, and James Ralph, all lovers of reading. The 
two first were clerks to an eminent scrivener or conveyancer in 
the town, Charles Brogden ; the other was clerk to a merchant. 
Watson was a pious, sensible young man, of great integrity ; 
the others rather more lax in their principles of religion, par- 
ticularly Ralph, who, as well as Collins, had been unsettled by 
me, for which they both made me suffer. Osborne was sensi- 
ble, candid, frank; sincere and affectionate to his friends ; but, 
in literary matters, too fond of criticising. Ralph was ingen- 
ious, genteel in his manners, and extremely eloquent ; I think 
I never knew a prettier talker. Both of them great admirers 
of poetry, and began to try their hands in little pieces. Many 
pleasant walks we four had together on Sundays into the 
woods, near Schuylkill, where we read to one another and 
conferred on what we read. 

Ralph was inclined to pursue the study of poetry, not doubt- 
ing but he might become eminent in it, and make his fortune by 
it, alleging that the best poets must, when they first began to 
write, make as many faults as he did. Osborne dissuaded 
him, assured him he had no genius for poetry, and advised 
him to think of nothing beyond the business he was bred to ; 
that, in the mercantile way, though he had no stock, he might, 
by his diligence and punctuality, recommend himself to em- 
ployment as a factor, and in time acquire wherewith to trade 
on his own account. I approved the amusing one's self with 
poetry now and then, so far as to improve one's language, but 
no farther. 

On this it was proposed that we should each of us, at our 
next meeting, produce a piece of our own composing, in order 
to improve by our mutual observations, criticisms, and cor- 
rections. As language and expression were what we had in 



42 BENJAMIN FKANKLIN. 

view, we excluded all considerations of invention by agreeing 
that the task should be a version of the eighteenth Psalm, 
which describes the descent of Deity. When the time of our 
meeting grew nigh, Ralph called on me first, and let me know 
his piece was ready. I told him I had been busy, and, having 
little inclination, had done nothing. He then showed me his 
piece for my opinion, and I much approved it, as it appeared to 
me to have great merit. " Now," says he, " Osborne never will 
allow the least merit in anything of mine, but makes a thou- 
sand criticisms out of mere envy. He is not so jealous of 
you ; I wish, therefore, you would take this piece, and produce 
it as yours ; I will pretend not to have had time, and so produce 
nothing. We shall then see what he will say to it." It was 
agreed, and I immediately transcribed it, that it might appear 
in my own hand. 

We met ; Watson's performance was read ; there were some 
beauties in it, but many defects. Osborne's was read ; it was 
much better ; Ralph did it justice ; remarked some faults, but 
applauded the beauties. He himself had nothing to produce. 
I was backward ; seemed desirous of being excused ; had not 
had sufficient time to correct, etc.; but no excuse could be 
admitted ; produce I must. It was read and repeated ; Wat- 
son and Osborne gave up the contest, and joined in applaud- 
ing it. Ralph only made some criticisms, and proposed some 
amendments ; but I defended my text. Osborne was against 
Ralpli, and told him he was no better a critic than poet, so he 
dropped the argument. As they two went home together, Os- 
borne expressed himself still more strongly in favor of what he 
thought my production ; having restrained himself before, as 
he said, lest I should think it flattery. " But who would have 
imagined," said he, "that Franklin had been capable of such 
a performance ; such painting, such force, such fire ! He has 
even improved the original. In his common conversation he 
seems to have no choice of words ; he hesitates and blunders ; 
and yet, good God ! how he writes !" When we next met, 
Ralph discovered the trick we had played him, and Osborne 
was a little laughed at. 



BENJAMIJS" FRANKLIIN-. 43 

This transaction fixed Ralph in his resolution of becoming a 
poet. I did all I could to dissuade him from it, but he con- 
tinued scribbling verses till Pope cured him.^ He became, 
however, a pretty good prose writer. More of him hereafter. 
But, as I may not have occasion again to mention the other 
two, I shall just remark here, that Watson died in my arms 
a few years after, much lamented, being the best of our set. 
Osborne went to the West Indies, where he became an 
eminent lawyer and made money, but died young. He- and I 
had made a serious agreement, that the one who happened 
first to die should, if possible, make a friendly visit to the 
other, and acquaint him how he found things in that separate 
state. But he never fulfilled his promise. 

The governor, seeming to like my company, had me fre- 
quently to his house, and his setting me up was always 
mentioned as a fixed thing. I was to take with me letters 
recommendatory to a number of his friends, besides the letter 
of credit to furnish me with the necessary money for pur- 
chasing the press and types, paper, etc. For these letters I 
was appointed to call at different times, when they were to be 
ready; but a future time was still named. Thus he went on 
till the ship, whose departure too had been several times post- 
poned, was on the point of sailing. Then, when I called to 
take my leave and receive the letters, his secretary. Dr. Bard, 
came out to me and said the governor was extremely busy in 
writing, but would be down at Newcastle before the ship, and 
there the letters would be delivered to me. 

Ealph, though married, and having one child, had deter- 
mined to accompany me on his voyage. It was thought he 
intended to establish a correspondence, and obtain goods to 



1. This was done in Book III. of the famous satire, the "Dunciad," by 
these lines : 

'* Silence, ye wolves! while Ralph to Cynthia howls. 
And makes Night hideous— answer him, ye owls." 
The poet added in a note: "These lines allude to a thing of his entitled 
' Night, a poem.' This low writer attended his own works with panegyrics 
in the journals, and once in particular praised himself highly above Mr. 
Addison, He was wholly iUiterate, and knew no language, not even Frencfe," 



44 BENJAMIN FKANKLIN. 

sell on commission; but I found afterwards, that, through 
some discontent with his wife's relations, he proposed to leave 
her on their hands, and never return again. Having taken 
leave of my friends, and interchanged some promises with 
Miss Read, I left Philadelphia in the ship, which anchored at 
Newcastle. The governor was there; but when I went to his 
lodging, the secretary came to me from him with the civilest 
message in the world, that he could not then see me, being 
engaged in business of the utmost importance, but should 
send the letters to me on board, wished me heartily a good 
voyage and a speedy return, etc. I returned on board a 
little puzzled, but still not doubting. 

Mr. Andrew Hamilton, a famous lawyer of Philadelphia, 
had taken passage in the same ship for himself and son, and 
with Mr. Denham, a Quaker merchant, and Messrs. Onion 
and Russel, masters of an iron-w^ork in Maryland, had en- 
gaged the great cabin; so that Ealph and I were forced to 
take up with a berth in the steerage, and none on board 
knowing us, were considered as ordinary persons. But Mr. 
Hamilton and his son (it was James, since governor) returned 
from Newcastle to Philadelphia, the father being recalled by 
a great fee to plead for a seized ship; and, just before we 
sailed. Colonel French coming on board, and showing me 
great respect, I was more faken notice of, and, with my 
friend Ealph, invited by the other gentlemen to come into the 
cabin, there being now room. Accordingly, we removed 
thither. 

Understanding that Colonel French had brought on board 
the governor's despatches, I asked the captain for those 
letters that were to be under my care. He said all were 
put into the bag together and he could not then come at 
them; but, before w^e landed in England, I should have an 
opportunity of picking them out; so I was satisfied for the 
present, and we proceeded on our voyage. We had a sociable 
company in the cabin, and lived uncommonly well, having the 
addition of all Mr. Hamilton's' stores, who had laid in plenti- 
fully. In this passage Mr, Denham contracted a friendship 



BENJAMI]^ FRANKLIN^. 45 

for me that continued during his life. The voyage was other- 
wise not a pleasant one, as we had a great deal of bad 
weather. 

"When we came into the Channel, the captain kept his word 
with me, and gave me an opportunity of examining the bag 
for the governor's letters. I found none upon which my 
name was put as under my care. I picked out six or seven, 
that, by the handwriting, I thought might be the promised 
letters, especially as one of them was directed to Basket, the 
king's printer, and another to some stationer. We arrived in 
London the 24th of December, 1724. I waited upon the 
stationer, who came first in my way, delivering the letter as 
from Governor Keith. *'I don't know such a person," says 
he; but, opening the letter, "O! this is from Riddlesden. I 
have lately found him to be a complete rascal, and I will have 
nothing to do with him, nor receive any letters from him." 
So, putting the letter into my hand, he turned on his heel and 
left me to serve some customer. I was surprised to find these 
were not the governor's letters; and, after recollecting and 
comparing circumstances, I began to doubt his sincerity. I 
found my friend Denham, and opened the whole affair to 
him. He let me into Keith's character; told me there was 
not the least probabiUty that he had written any letters for 
me; that no one who knew him had the smallest dependence 
on him; and he laughed at the notion of the governor's 
giving me a letter of credit, having, as he said, no credit to 
give. On my expressing some concern about what I should 
do, he advised me to endeavor getting some employment in 
the way of my business. "Among the printers here," said 
he, "you will improve yourself, and when you return to 
America, you will set up to greater advantage." 

We both of us happened to know, as well as the stationer, 
that Eiddlesden, the attorney, was a very knave. He had 
half ruined Miss Read's father by persuading him to be bound 
for him. By this letter it appeared there was a secret scheme 
on foot to the prejudice of Hamilton (supposed to be then 
coming over with us); and that Keith was concerned in it 



46 BEXJAMIN FEANKLIN". 

with Kiddlesden. Deiiham, who was a friend of Hamilton's, 
thought he ought to be acquainted with it; so, when he 
arrived in England, which was soon after, partly from resent- 
ment and ill-will to Keith and Kiddlesden, and partly from 
good-will to him, I waited on him, and gave him the letter. 
He thanked me cordially, the information being of importance 
TO him; and from that time he became my friend, greatly to 
my advantage afterwards on many occasions. 

But what shall we think of a governor's playing such pitiful 
tricks, and imposing so grossly on a poor ignorant boy ! It 
was a habit he had acquired. He wished to please everybody, 
and, having little to give, he gave expectations. He was 
otherwise an ingenious, sensible man, a pretty good writer, 
and a good governor for the people, though not for his con- 
stituents, the proprietaries, whose instructions he sometimes 
disregarded. Several of our best laws were of his planning 
and passed during his administration. 

Ralph and I were inseparable companions. We took lodg- 
ings together in Little Britain' at three shillings and sixpence 
a week— as much as we could then afford. He found some 
relations, but they were poor, and unable to assist him. He 
now let me know his intentions of remaining in London, and 
that he never meant to return to Philadelphia. He had 
brought no money with him, the whole he could muster 
having been expended in paying his passage. I had fifteen 
pistoles ; so he borrowed occasionally of me to subsist while 
he was looking out for business. He first endeavored to get 
into the playhouse, believing himself qualified for an actor; 
but Wilkes,' to whom he applied advised him candidly not to 
think of that employment, as it was impossible he should 
succeed in it. Then he proposed to Roberts, a publisher in 
Paternoster Row, to write for him a weekly paper like the 
Spectator, on certain conditions, which Roberts did not ap- 



1. Little Britain.— A picturesque part of old London, bee 
delightful description of it in the " Sketch-book." 
, 2. Wilkes.— A comedian of tlie period. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 47 

})rove. Then he endeavored to get employment as a hackney 
writer, to copy for the stationers and hivvyers about the 
Temple,' but could find no vacancy. 

I immediately got into work at Palmer's, then a famous 
printing-house in Bartholomew Close, and here I continued 
near a year. I was pretty diligent, but spent with Ralph a 
good deal of my earnings in going to plays and other places 
of amusement. We had together consumed all my pistoles, 
and now just rubbed on from hand to mouth. He seemed 
quite to forget his wife and child, and I, by degrees, my en- 
gagements with Miss Read, to whom I never wrote more than 
one letter, and that was to let her know I was not likely soon 
to return. This was another of the great errata of my life, 
which I should wish to correct if I were to live it over again. 
In fact, by our expenses, I was constantly kept unable to pay 
my passage. 

At Palmer's I was employed in composing^ for the second 
edition of WoUaston's "Religion of Nature." Some of his 
reasonings not appearing to me well founded, I wrote a little 
metaphysical piece in which I made remarks on them. It 
was entitled " Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure 
and Pain." I inscribed it to my friend Ralph ; I printed a 
small number. It occasioned my being more considered by 
Mr. Palmer as a young man of some ingenuity, though he 
seriously expostulated with me upon the principles of my 
pamphlet, which to him appeared abominable. My printing 
tliis pamphlet was another erratum. While I lodged in Little 
Britain I made an acquaintance with one AVilcox, a bookseller, 
whose shop was at the next door. He had an immense collec- 
tion of second-hand books. Circulating libraries w^ere not 
then in use ; but we agreed that, on certain reasonable terms, 
which I have now forgotten, I might take, read, and return 
any of his books. This I esteemed a great advantage, and I 
made as much use of it as I could. 



1. Temple.— A group of buildinpjs occupied by the lawyers in that part 
of London where the Knights Templars had their headquarters. 

2. Composing.— That is, setting type. 



48 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

My pamphlet by some means falling into the hands of one 
Lyons, a surgeon, author of a book entitled " The Infallibility 
of Human Judgment," it occasioned an acquaintance between 
us. He took great notice of me, called on me often to con- 
verse on those subjects, carried me to the Horns, a pale-ale 
house in — — Lane, Cheapside, and introduced me to Dr. 
Mandeville, author of the "Fable of the Bees," who had a 
club there, of which he was the soul, being a most facetious, 
entertaining companion. Lyons, too, introduced me to Dr. 
Pemberton, at Batson's Coffee-house, who promised to give 
me an opportunity, some time or other, of seeing Sir Isaac 
Newton, of which I was extremely desirous ; but this never 
happened. 

I had brought over a few curiosities, among which the 
principal was a purse made of the asbestos, which purifies by 
fire. Sir Hans Sloane heard of it, came to see me, and in- 
vited me to his house in Bloomsbury Square, where he showed 
me all his curiosities, and persuaded me to let him add that 
to the number, for which he paid me handsomely. 

In our house there lodged a young woman, a milliner, who, 
I think, had a shop in the Cloisters. She had been genteelly 
bred, was sensible and lively, and of most pleasing conversa- 
tion. Ralph read plays to her in the evenings, they grew 
intimate, she took another lodging, and he followed her. 
They lived together some time ; but, he being still out of 
business, and her income not sufficient to maintain them with 
her child, he took a resolution of going from London, to try 
for a country school, which he thought himself well qualified 
to undertake, as he wrote an excellent hand, and w^as a master 
of arithmetic and accounts. This, however, he deemed a 
business below him, and confident of future better fortune, 
when he should be unwilling to have it known that he once 
Avas so meanly employed, he changed his name, and did me 
the honor to assume mine ; for I soon after had a letter from 
him, acquainting me that he was settled in a small village 
(in Berkshire, I think it was, where he taught reading and 
writing to ten or a dozen boys, at sixpence each per week), 



BENJAMIK PllANKLIJf. 49 

recommending Mrs. T to my care, and desiring me to 

write to him, directing for Mr. Franklin, schoolmaster, at 
such a place. 

He continued to write frequently, sending me large speci- 
mens of an epic poem which he w^as then composing, and 
desiring my remarks and corrections. These I gave him from 
time to time, but endeavored rather to discourage his pro- 
ceeding. One of Young's Satires was then just published. 
I copied and sent him a great part of it, which set in a strong 
light the folly of pursuing the Muses with any hope of ad- 
vancement by them. All was in vain ; sheets of the poem 
continued to come by every post. In the mean time [another 
matter which gave him offense] made a breach between us ; 
and, when he returned again to London, he let me know he 
thought I had canceled all the obligations he had been under 
to me. So I found I was never to expect his repaying me 
what I lent to him, or advanced for him. This, however, was 
not then of much consequence, as he was totally unable ; and 
in the loss of his friendship I found myself relieved from a 
burthen. I now began to think of getting a little money 
beforehand, and, expecting better work, I left Palmer's to 
work at Watts's, near Lincoln's Inn Fields, a still greater print- 
ing-house.' Here I continued all the rest of my stay in 
London. 

At my first admission into this printing-house I took to 
w^orking at press, imagining I felt a want of the bodily exer- 
cise I had been used to in America, where presswork is mixed 
with composing. I drank only water ; the other workmen, 
near fifty in number, w^ere great guzzlers of beer. On occa- 
sion, I carried up and down stairs a large form of types in 
each hand, when others carried but one in both hands. They 
wondered to see, from this and several instances, that the 
Wate7'-A7ne7Hcan, as they called me, was stro7iger than them- 
selves, who drank stroTig beer ! We had an alehouse boy who 
attended always in the house to supply the workmen. My 

1. The prinliiig-piess used by Franklin at Watts's was exhibited at the 
Philadelphia Exposition, 1876, and is now in the Patent Oflace at Washington. 



50 BENJAMIK FKAKKLIN. 

companion at the press drank every day a pint before break- 
fast, a pint at breakfast with his bread and cheese, a pint be- 
tween breakfast and dinner, a pint at dinner, a pint in the 
afternoon about six o'clock, and another when he had done 
his day's work. I thought it a detestable custom; but it was 
necessary, he supposed, to drink strong beer that he might be 
strong to labor. I endeavored to convince him that the bodily 
strength afforded by beer could only be in proportion to the 
grain or flour of the barley dissolved in the water of which it 
was made ; that there was more flour in a pennyworth of 
bread ; and therefore, if he would eat that with a pint of 
water, it would give him more strength than a quart of beer. 
He drank on, however, and had four or five shillings to pay 
out of his wages every Saturday night for that muddling 
liquor ; an expense I was free from. And thus these poor 
devils keep themselves always under. 

Watts, after some weeks, desiring to have me in the com- 
posing-room, I left the pressmen ; a new hien venu or sum 
for drink, being five shillings, was demanded of me by the 
compositors. I thought it an imposition, as I had paid below ; 
the master thought so too, and forbade my paying it. I stood 
out two or three weeks, was accordingly considered as an ex- 
communicate, and had so many little pieces of private mis- 
chief done me, by mixing my sorts, transposing my pages, 
breaking my matter, etc., etc., if I were ever so little out of 
the room, and all ascribed to the chapel ghost, which they 
said ever haunted those not regularly admitted, that, notwith- 
standing the master's protection, I found myself obliged to 
comply and pay the money, convinced of the folly of being on 
ill terms with those one is to live with continually. 

I was now on a fair footing with them, and soon acquired 
considerable influence. I proposed some reasonable altera- 
tions in their chapel ^ laws, and carried them against all 
opposition. From my example, a great part of them left their 

1. " A printing-house used to be called a chapel bj' the workmen, and a 
jouroeyman, on entering a printing-house, was accustomed to pay one or 
more gallons of beer ' for the good of the chapel.' ''—Bigeloic. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 51 

muddling breakfast of beer, and bread, and cheese, finding 
they could with me be supplied from a neighboring house with 
a large porringer of hot water-gruel, sprinkled with pepper, 
crumbed with bread, and a bit of butter in it, for the price of 
a pint of beer, viz., three half -pence. This was a more com- 
fortable as well as cheaper breakfast, and kept their heads 
clearer. Those who continued sotting with beer all day, were 
often, by not paying, out of credit at the alehouse, and used 
to make interest with me to get beer ; their Uglit^ as they 
phrased it, being out. I watched the f)ay-table on Saturday 
night, and collected what I stood engaged for them, having 
to pay sometimes near thirty shillings a week on their ac- 
counts. This, and my being esteemed a pretty good Hggite^ 
that is, a jocular verbal satirist, supported my consequence 
in the society. My constant attendance (I never making a 
St. Monday)^ recommended me to the master ; and my 
uncommon quickness at composing occasioned my being put 
upon all work of dispatch, which was generally better paid. 
So I went on now very agreeably. 

My lodging in Little Britain being too remote, I found 
another in Duke Street, opposite to the Romish Chapel. It 
was two pair of stairs backwards, at an Italian warehouse. 
A widow lady kept the house ; she had a daughter, and a 
maid servant, and a journeyman who attended the warehouse, 
but lodged abroad. After sending to inquire my character at 
the house where I last lodged, she agreed to take me in at the 
same rate, 3s. 6d. per week ; cheaper, as she said, from the 
protection she expected in having a man lodge in the house. 
She was a widow, an elderly woman ; had been bred a Protes- 
tant, being a clergyman's daughter, but was converted to the 
Catholic religion by her husband, whose memory she much 
revered ; had lived much among people of distinction, and 
knew a thousand anecdotes of them as far back as the time of 
Charles the Second. She was lame in her knees with the gout, 



1. Making a holiday of Monday. Workmen who squandered the Satur- 
day-night's pay in dissipation would be unfit for woi'k Monday. 



52 BENJAMIK TRANKLIX. 

and^ therefore, seldom stirred out of her room, so sometimes 
wanted company ; and hers was so highly amusing to me, that 
I was sure to spend an evening with her whenever she desired 
it. Our supper was only half an anchovy each, on a very 
little strip of bread and butter, and half a pint of ale between 
us; but the entertainment was in her conversation. My 
always keeping good hours, and giving little trouble in the 
family, made her unwilling to part with me ; so that, when I 
talked of a lodging I had heard of, nearer my business, for 
two shillings a week, which, intent as I now was on saving 
money, made some difference, she bid me not think of it, for 
she would abate me two shillings a week for the future ; so I 
remained with her at one shilling and sixpence as long as I 
stayed in London. 

In a garret of her house there lived a maiden lady of seventy 
in the most retired manner, of whom my landlady gave me 
this account : that she was a Koman Catholic, had been sent 
abroad when young, and lodged in a nunnery with an intent 
of becoming a nun ; but, the country not agreeing with her, 
she returned to England, where, there being no nunnery, she 
had vowed to lead the life of a^nun, as near as might be done 
in those circumstances. Accordingly, she had given all her 
estate to charitable uses, reserving only twelve pounds a year 
to live on, and out of this sum she still gave a great deal in 
charity, living herself on water-gruel only, and using no fire 
but to boil it. She had lived many years in that garret, being 
permitted to remain there gratis by successive Catholic tenants 
of the house below, as they deemed it a blessing to have her 
there. A priest visited her to confess her every day. "I 
have asked her," says my landlady, " how she, as she lived, 
could possibly find so much employment for a confessor." 
" Oh," said she, " it is impossible to avoid vain tJioughts.'" I 
was permitted once to visit her. She was cheerful and polite, 
and conversed pleasantly. The room was clean, but had no 
other furniture than a mattress, a table with a crucifix and 
book, a stool which she gave me to sit on, and a picture over 
the chimney of Saint Veronica displaying her handkerchief, 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 5^ 

with the miraculous figure of Christ's bleeding face on it,' 
which she explained to me with great seriousness. She looked 
pale, but was never sick ; and I give it as another instance on 
how small an income life and health may be supported. 

At "Watts's printing-house I contracted an acquaintance with 
an ingenious young man, one Wygate, who, having wealthy 
relations, had been better educated than most printers ; was 
a tolerable Latinist, spoke French, and loved reading. I 
taught him and a friend of his to swim at twice going into the 
river, and they soon became good swimmers. They intro- 
duced me to some gentlemen from the country, who went to 
Chelsea by water to see the College and Don Saltero's curiosi- 
ties. In our return, at the request of the company, whose 
curiosity Wygate had excited, I stripped and leaped into the 
river, and swam from near Chelsea to Blackfriar's, perform- 
ing on the way many feats of activity, both upon and under 
the water, that surprised and pleased those to whom they 
were novelties. 

I had from a child been ever delighted with this exercise, 
had studied and practiced all Thevenot's motions and posi- 
tions, added some of my own, aiming at the graceful and easy 
as well as the useful. All these I took this occasion of ex- 
hibiting to the company, and was much flattered by their 
admiration ; and Wygate, who was desirous of becoming a 
master, grew more and more attached to me on that account, 
as well as from the similarity of our studies. He at length 
proposed to me traveling all over Europe together, support- 
ing ourselves everywhere by working at our business. I was 
once inclined to it ; but, mentioning it to my good friend, Mr. 
Denham, with whom I often spent an hour when I had leisure, 
he dissuaded me from it, advising me to think only of return- 
ing to Pennsylvania, which he was now about to do. 

I must record one trait of this good man's character. He 



1. According to the le^rend. Veronica met Christ while bearing: the cross 
to Calvary; as He was sinking overpowered by fatigue, slie offered Hini her 
veil or kerchief to wipe the sweat from His brow, and when it was returned 
to her the divine features were miraculously impressed upon the cloth. 



54 BEKJAMIN FKANKLIX. 

had formerly been in business at Bristol, but failed in debt to 
a number of people, compounded and went to America. 
There, by a close application to business as a merchant, he 
acquired a plentiful fortune in a few years. Returning to 
England in the ship with me, he invited his old creditors to 
an entertainment, at which he thanked them for the easy 
composition they had favored him with, and, when they ex- 
pected nothing but the treat, every man at the first remove 
found under his plate an order on a banker for the full 
amount of the unpaid remainder, with interest. 

He now told me he was about to return to Philadelphia, . 
and should carry over a great quantity of goods, in order to 
open a store there. He proposed to take me over as his clerk, 
to keep his books, in which he would instruct me, copy his let- 
ters, and attend the store. He added, that, as soon as I 
should be acquainted with mercantile business, he would pro- 
mote me by sending me with a cargo of flour and bread, etc., 
to the West Indies, and procure me commissions from others 
which would be profitable ; and, if I managed well, would 
establish me handsomely. The thing pleased me ; for I was 
grown tired of London, remembered with pleasure the happy 
months I had spent in Pennsylvania, and wished again to see 
it ; therefore I immediately agreed on the terms of fifty 
pounds a year, Pennsylvania money ; less, indeed, than my 
present gettings as a compositor, but affording a better pros- 
pect. 

I now took leave of printing, as I thought, for ever, and 
was daily employed in my new business, going about with Mr. 
Denham among the tradesmen to purchase various articles, 
and seeing them packed up, doing errands, calling upon work- 
men to dispatch, etc.; and, when all was on board, I had a 
few days' leisure. On one of these days, I was, to my surprise, 
sent for by a great man I knew only by name, a Sir William 
Wyndham, and I waited upon him. He had heard by some 
means or other of my swimming froi?) Chelsea to Blackfriar's, 
and of my teaching Wygate and another young man to swim 
in a few hours. He had two sons, about to set out ou 



BEI^JAMIN FRAXKLTX. .55 

their travels ; he wished to have them first taught swimming, 
and proposed to gratify me handsomely if I would teach 
them. They were not yet come to town, and my stay was 
uncertain, so I could not undertake it ; but from this incident 
I thought it likely that, if I were to remain in England and 
open a swimming-school, I might get a good deal of money ; 
and it struck me so strongly, that, had the overture been 
sooner made me, probably I should not so soon have returned 
to America. After many years, you and I had something of 
more importance to do with one of these sons of Sir William 
Wyndham, become Earl of Egremont, which I shall mention 
in its place. 

Thus I spent about eighteen months in London ; most part 
of the time T worked hard at my business, and spent but little 
upon myself except in seeing plays and in books. My friend 
Ralph had kept me poor ; he owed me about twenty-seven 
pounds, which I was now never likely to receive ; a great sum 
out of my small earnings ! I loved him, notwithstanding, for 
he had many amiable qualities. I had by no means improved 
my fortune ; but I had picked up some very ingenious ac- 
quaintances, whose conversation was of great advantage to me; 
and I had read considerably. 

We sailed from Gravesend on the 23d of July, 1726. For 
the incidents of the voyage, I refer you to my journal, where 
you will find them all minutely related. Perhaps the most 
important part of that journal is the plan to be found in it, 
which I formed at sea, for regulating my future conduct in 
life. It is the more remarkable, as being formed when I was 
so young, and yet being pretty faithfully adhered to quite 
through to old age. 

We landed in Philadelphia on the 11th of October, where I 
found sundry alterations. Keith was no longer governor, 
being superseded by Major Gordon. I met him walking the 
streets as a common citizen. He seemed a little ashamed at 
seeing me, but passed without saying anything. I should 
have been as much ashamed at seeing Miss Read, had not her 
friends, despairing with reason of my return after the receipt 



56* RE^MAMIi^ FRANKLIN". 

of my letter, persuaded her to marry another, one Rogers, a 
potter, which was done in my absence. With him, however, 
she was never happy, and soon parted from him, refusing to 
cohabit with him or bear his name, it being now said that he 
had another wife. He was a worthless fellow, though an 
excellent workman, which was the temptation to her friends. 
He got into debt, ran away in 1727 or 1738, went to the West 
Indies, and died there. Keimer had got a better house, a 
shop well supplied with stationery, plenty of new types, a 
number of hands, though none good, and seemed to have a 
great deal of business. 

Mr. Denham took a store in Water Street, where we opened 
our goods ; I attended the business diligently, studied ac- 
counts, and grew, in a little time, expert at selling. We 
lodged and boarded together ; he counseled rae as a father, 
having a sincere regard for me. I respected and loved him, 
and we might have gone on together very happy ; but in the 
beginning of February, 172f, when I had just passed my 
twenty-first year, we were both taken ill. My distemper was 
a pleurisy, which very nearly carried me off. I suffered a 
good deal, gave up the point in my own mind, and was rather 
disappointed when I found myself recovering, regretting, in 
some degree, that I must now, some time, or other, have all 
that disagreeable work to do over again. I forget what his 
distemper was ; it held him a long time, and at length car- 
ried him off. He left me a small legacy in a nuncupative 
will, as a token of his kindness for me, and he left me once 
more to the wide world ; for the store was taken into the care 
of his executors, and my employment under him ended. 

My brother-in-law. Holmes, being now at Philadelphia, ad- 
vised my return to my business; and Keimer tempted rae, with 
an offer of large wages by the year, to come and take the man- 
agement of his printing-house, that he might better attend 
his stationer's shop. I had heard a bad character of him in 
London from his wife and her friends, and was not fond of 
having any more to do with him. I tried for farther employ- 
ment as a merchant's clerk; but, not readily meeting with 



liEJTeTAMlN FRAXKLIN". 57 

any, I closed again with Kcimer. I found in his house these 
hands: Hugh Meredith, a Welsh Pennsylvanian, thirty years of 
age, bred to country work; honest, sensible, had a great deal 
of solid observation, was something of a reader, but given to 
drink. Stephen Potts, a young countryman of full age, bred 
to the same, of uncommon natural parts, and great wit and 
humor, but a little idle. These he had agreed with at extreme 
low wages per week, to be raised a shilling every three months, 
as they would deserve by improving in their business; and the 
expectation of these high wages, to come on hereafter, was 
what he had drawn them in with. Meredith was to work at 
press. Potts at bookbinding, which he, by agreement, was to 
teach them, though he knew neither one nor t'other. John 
, a wild Irishman, brought up to no business, whose ser- 
vice, for four years, Keimer had purchased from the captain 
of a ship; he, too, was to be made a pressman. George Webb, 
an Oxford scholar, whose time for four years he had likewise 
bought, intending him for a compositor, of whom more pres- 
ently; and David Harry, a country boy, whom he had taken 
apprentice. 

I soon perceived that the intention of engaging me at wages 
so much higher than he had been used to give was, to have 
these raw, cheap hands formed thr )ugh me; and. as soon as 
I had instructed them, then they being all articled to him, he 
should be able to do without me. I went on, however, very 
cheerfully, put his printing-house in order, which had been in 
great confusion, and brought his hands by degrees to mind 
their business and to do it better. 

It was an odd thing to find an Oxford scholar in the situ- 
ation of a bought servant. He was not more than eighteen 
years of age, and gave me this account of himself; that he was 
born in Gloucester, educated at a grammar-school there, had 
been distinguished among the scholars for some apparent su- 
periority in performing his part, when they exhibited plays; 
belonged to the Witty Club there, and had written some 
pieces in prose and verse, which were printed in the Gloucester 
newspapers; thence he was sent to Oxford; where he con- 



58 BENJAMIN FKAXKLIN. 

tinued about a year, but not well satisfied, wishing of all things 
to see London, and become a player. At length, receiving 
his quarterly allowance of fifteen guineas, instead of discharg- 
ing his debts he walked out of town, hid his gown in a furze 
bush, and footed it to London, where, having no friends to 
advise him, he fell into bad company, soon spent his guineas, 
found no means of being introduced among the players, grew 
necessitous, pawned his clothes, and wanted bread. Walking 
the street very hungry, and not knowing what to do with him- 
self, a crimp's bill was put into his hand, offering immediate 
entertainment and encouragement to such as would bind them- 
selves to serve in America. He went directly, signed the 
indentures, was put into the ship, and came over, never writ- 
ing a line to acquaint his friends what was become of him. 
He was lively, witty, good-natured, and a pleasant companion, 
but idle, thoughtless, and imprudent to the last degree. 

John, the Irishman, soon ran away; with the rest I began to 
live very agreeably, for they all respected me the more, as they 
found Keimer incapable of instructing them, and that from 
me they learned something daily. We never worked on Satur- 
day, that being Keimer's Sabbath, so I had two days for read- 
ing. My acquaintance with ingenious people in the town in- 
creased. Keimer himself treated me with great civility and 
apparent regard, and nothing now made me uneasy but my 
debt to Vernon, which I was yet unable to pay, being hither- 
to but a poor economist. He, however, kindly made no 
demand of it. 

Our printing-house often wanted sorts, and there was no 
letter-founder in America; I had seen types cast at James's in 
London, but without much attention to the manner; however, 
I now contrived a mold, made use of the letters we had as 
puncheons, struck the matrices in lead, and thus supplied in 
a pretty tolerable way all deficiencies. I also engraved several 
things on occasion; I made the ink; I was warehouseman, 
and everything, and, in short, quite a factotum. 

But, however serviceable I might be, I found that my ser- 
vices became every day of less importance, as the other hands 



BENJAMIN FKANKLIN. 59 

improved in the business; and, when Keimer paid my second 
quarter's wages, he let me 'know that he felt them too heavy, 
and thought I should make an abatement. He grew by degrees 
less civil, put on more of the master, frequently found fault, 
was captious, and seemed ready for an outbreaking. I went 
on, nevertheless, with a good deal of patience, thinking that 
his encumbered circumstances were partly the cause. At 
length a trifle snapped our connections; for, a great noise hap- 
pening near the court-house, I put my head out of the window 
to see what was the matter. Keimer, being in the street, looked 
up and saw me, called out to me in a loud voice and angry 
tone to mind my business, adding some reproachful words, 
that nettled me the more for their publicity, all the neighbors 
who were looking out on the same occasion being witnesses 
how I was treated. He came up immediately into the print- 
ing-house, continued the quarrel, high words passed on both 
sides, he gave me the quarter's warning we had stipulated, 
expressing a wish that he had not been obliged to so long a 
warning. I told him that his wish was unnecessary, for I 
would leave him that instant; and so, taking my hat, walked 
out of doors, desiring Meredith, whom I saw below, to take 
care of some things I left, and bring them to my lodgings. 

Meredith came accordingly in the evening, when we talked 
my affair over. He had conceived a great regard for me, and 
was very unwilling that I should leave the house while he re- 
mained in it. He dissuaded me from returning to my native 
country, which I began to think of ; he reminded me that 
Keimer was in debt for all he possessed ; that his creditors 
began to be uneasy ; that he kept his shop miserably, sold 
often without profit for ready money, and often trusted with- 
out keeping accounts ; that he must therefore fail, which 
would make a vacancy I might profit of. I objected my want 
of money. He then let me know that his father had a high 
opinion of me, and from some discourse that had passed be- 
tween them, he was sure would advance money to set us up, 
if 1 would enter into partnership with him. "My time," says 
he, " will be out with Keimer in the spring ; by that time we 



60 BElsVAMIN FRAN^KLIX. 

may have our press and types in from London. I am sensible 
I am no workman ; if you like it, your skill in the business 
shall be set against the stock I furnish, and we will share the 
profits equally." 

The proposal was agreeable, and I consented ; his father 
was in town and approved of it ; the more as he saw I had 
great influence with his son, had prevailed on him to abstain 
long from dram-drinking, and he hoped might break him of 
that wretched habit entirely, when we came to be so closely 
connected. I gave an inventory to the father, who carried it 
to a merchant ; the things were sent for, the secret was to be 
kept till they should arrive, and in the mean time I was to get 
work, if I could, at the other printing-house. But I found no 
vacancy there, and so remained idle a few days, when Keimer, 
on a prospect of being employed to print some paper money 
in New Jersey, which would require cuts and various types 
that I only could supply, and apprehending Bradford might 
engage me and get the job from him, sent me a very civil mes- 
sage, that old friends should not part for a few words, the 
effect of sudden passion, and wishing me to return. Meredith 
persuaded me to comply, as it would give more opportunity 
for his improvement under my daily instructions ; so I re- 
turned, and we went on more smoothly than for some time 
before. The New Jersey job was obtained, I contrived a cop- 
per-plate press for it, the first that had been seen in the coun- 
try ; I cut several ornaments and checks for the bills. We 
.went together to Burlington, where I executed the whole to 
satisfaction; and he received so large a sum for the work as to 
be enabled thereby to keep his head much longer above water. 

At Burlington I made an acquaintance with many principal 
people of the province. Several of them had been appointed 
by the Assembly a committee to attend the press, and take 
care that no more bills \f ere printed than the law directed. 
They were therefore, by turns, constantly with us, and gen- 
erally he who attended, brought with him a friend or two for 
company. My mind having been much more improved by 
reading than Keimer's, I suppose it was for that reason my 



BENJAMIK FRANKLIN*. 61 

converstation seemed to be more yalued. They had mc to 
their houses, introduced me to their friends, and showed me 
much civility ; while he, though the master, was a little neg- 
lected. In truth, he was an odd fish ; ignorant of common 
life, fond of rudely opposing received opinions, slovenly to 
extreme dirtiness, enthusiastic in some points of religion, and 
a little knavish withal. 

We continued there near three months ; and by that time I 
could reckon among my acquired friends. Judge Allen, Samuel 
Bustill, the secretary of the province, Isaac Pearson, Joseph 
Cooper, and several of the Smiths, members of Assembly, and 
Isaac Decow, the surveyor-general. The latter was a shrewd, 
sagacious old man, who told me that he began for himself, 
when young, by wheeling clay for the brickmakers, learned 
to write after he was of age, carried the chain for surveyors, 
who taught him surveying, and he had now by his industry 
acquired a good estate ; and says he, ' ' I foresee that you will 
soon work this man out of his business, and make a fortune in 
it at Philadelphia." He had not then the least intimation of 
my intention to set up there or anywhere. These friends were 
afterwards of great use to me, as I occasionally was to some 
of them. They all continued their regard for me as long as 
they lived. 

Before I enter upon my public appearance in business, it 
may be well to let you know the then state of my mind with 
regard to my principles and morals, that you may see how far 
those influenced the future events of my life. My parents had 
early given me religious impressions, and brought me through 
my childhood piously in the Dissenting way. But I was 
scarce fifteen, when, after doubting by turns of several points, 
as I found them disputed in the different books I read, I be- 
gan to doubt of Revelation itself. Some books against Deism 
fell into my hands ; they were said to be the substance of ser- 
mons preached at Boyle's Lectures. It happened that they 
wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended 
by them ; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted 
to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refuta- 



G2 BENJAMIN" FRAiq^KLIN. 

tions ; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist. My argu- 
ments perverted some others, particularly Collins :>.nd Kalph ; 
but, each of them having afterwards wronged me greatly 
without the least compunction, and recollecting Keith's con- 
duct towards me (who was another freethinker), and my own 
towards Vernon and Miss Read, which at times gave me great 
trouble, I began to suspect that this doctrine, though it might 
be true, was not very useful. My London pamphlet, which 
had for its motto these lines of Dryden : 

" Whatever is, is right. 'J'hough purblind man 
Se6o but a part o' the chain, the nearest link: 
His eyes not cai-rying to the equal beam, 
That poises all above ;" 

and from the attributes of God, His infinite wisdom, goodness 
and power, concluded that nothing could possibly be wrong 
in the world, and that vice and virtue were empty distinctions, 
no such things existing, appeared now not so clever a per- 
formance as I once thought it; and I doubted whether some 
error had not insinuated itself unperceived into my argument, 
so as to infect all that followed, as is common in metaphysical 
reasonings. 

I grew convinced that truth, sincerity, and integrity in deal- 
ings between man and man were of the utmost importance to 
the felicity of life; and I formed written resolutions, which 
still remain in my journal book, to practice them ever while I 
lived. Eevelation had indeed no w^eight with me, as such; 
but I entertained an opinion that, though certain actions 
might not be bad because they were forbidden by it, or good 
because it commanded them, yet probably those actions might 
be forbidden because they were bad for us, or commanded be- 
cause they were beneficial to us, in their own natures, all the 
circumstances of things considered. And this persuasion, 
with the kind hand of Providence, or some guardian angel, or 
accidental favorable circumstances and situations, or all to- 
gether, preserved me, through this dangerous time of youth, 
and the hazardous situations I was sometimes in among stran- 
gers, remote from the eye and advice of my father, without 



BENJAMIN FRAKKLIK". 63 

any willful gross immorality or injustice, that might have been 
expected from my want of religion. I say willful, because 
the instances I have mentioned had something of necessity in 
them, from my youth, inexperience, and the knavery of others. 
I had therefore a tolerable character to begin the world with; 
I valued it properly, and determined to preserve it. 

We had not been long returned to Philadelphia before the 
new types arrived from London. AVe settled with Keimer, 
and left him by his consent before he heard of it. We found 
a house to hire near the market, and took it. To lessen the 
rent, which was then but twenty-four pounds a year, though 
I have since known it to let for seventy, we took in Thomas 
Godfrey, a glazier, and his family, who were to pay a con- 
siderable part of it to us, and we to board with them. We 
had scarce opened our letters and put our press in order, be- 
fore George House, an acquaintance of mine, brought a coun- 
tryman to us, whom he had met in the street inquiring for a 
printer. All our cash was now expended in the variety of 
particulars we had been obliged to procure, and this country- 
man's five shillings, being our first-fruits, and coming so sea- 
sonably, gave me more pleasure than any crown I have since 
earned; and the gratitude I felt toward House has made me 
often more ready than perhaps I should otherwise have been 
to assist young beginners. 

There are croakers in every country, always boding its ruin. 
Such a one then lived in Philadelphia; a person of note, an 
elderly man, with a wise look and a very grave manner of 
speaking; his name was Samuel Mickle. This gentleman, a 
stranger to me, stopped one day at my door, and asked me if 
I was the young man who had lately opened a new printing- 
house. Being answered in the afiirmative, he said he was 
sorry for me, because it was an expensive undertaking, and 
the expense would be lost; for Philadelphia was a sinking 
place, the people already half bankrupts, or near being so; all 
appearances to the contrary, such as new buildings and the 
rise of rents, being to his certain knowledge fallacious; for 
they were, in fact, among the things that would soon ruin us. 



64 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

And he gave me such a detail of misfortunes now existing, or 
that were soon to exist, that he left me half melancholy. Had 
I known him before I engaged in this business, probably I 
never should have done it. This man continued to live in 
this decaying place, and to declaim in the same strain, refus- 
ing for many years to buy a house there, because all was going 
to destruction; and at last I had the pleasure of seeing him 
give five times as much for one as he might have bought it 
for when he first began his croaking. 

I should have mentioned before, that, in the autumn of the 
preceding year, I had formed most of my ingenious acquaint- 
ance into a club of mutual improvement, which we called the 
Junto; we met on Friday evenings. The rules that I drew 
up required that every member, in his turn, sliould produce 
one or more queries on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natu- 
ral Philosophy, to be discussed by the company; and once in 
three months produce and read an essay of his own writing, 
on any subject he pleased. Our debates were to be under the 
direction of a president, and to be conducted in the sincere 
spirit of inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute, or 
desire of victory; and, to prevent warmth, all expressions of 
positiveness in opinions, or direct contradiction, were, after 
some time, made contraband, and prohibited under small 
pecuniary penalties. 

The first members were Joseph Breintnal, a copier of deeds 
for the scriveners, a good-natured, friendly, middle-aged man, 
a great lover of poetry, reading all he could meet with, and 
writing some that was tolerable; very ingenious in many little 
nicknackeries, and of sensible conversation. 

Thomas Godfrey, a self-taught mathematician, great in his 
way, and afterward inventor of what is now called Hadley's 
Quadrant. But he knew little out of his way, and was not a 
pleasing companion; as, like most great mathematicians I 
have met with, he expected universal precision in everything 
said, or was forever denying or distinguishing upon trifle§, to 
the disturbance of all conversation. He soon left us. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 65 

Nicliolas Scull, a surveyor, afterward surveyor-general, wlio 
loved books, and sometimes made a few verses. 

^Yilliam Parsons, bred a shoemaker, but loving reading, had 
acquired a considerable share of mathematics, which he first 
studied with a view to astrology, that he afterwards laughed 
at. He also became surveyor-general. 

William Maugridge, a joiner, a most exquisite mechanic, 
and a solid, sensible man. 

Hugh Meredith, Stephen Potts, and George Webb I have 
characterized before. 

Pwobert Grace, a young gentleman of some fortune, generous, 
lively, and witty; a lover of punning and of his friends. 

And William Coleman, then a merchant's clerk, about my 
age, who had the coolest, clearest head, the best heart, and 
the exactest morals of almost any man I ever met with. He 
became afterwards a merchant of great note, and one of our 
provincial judges. Our friendship continued without inter- 
ruption to his death, upward of forty years; and the club con- 
tinued almost as long, and was the best school of philosophy, 
morality, and politics that then existed in the province; for our 
queries, which were read the week preceding their discussion, 
put us upon reading with attention upon the several subjects, 
that we might speak more to the purpose; and here, too, we 
acquired better habits of conversation, everything being 
studied in our rules which might prevent our disgusting each 
other. From hence the long continuance of the club, which I 
shall have frequent occasion to speak further of hereafter. 

But my giving this account of it here is to show something 
of the interest I had, every one of these exerting themselves 
in recommending business to us. Breintnal particularly pro- 
cured us from the Quakers the printing forty sheets of their 
history, the rest being to be done by Keimer ; and upon this 
we worked exceedingly hard, for the price was low. It was a 
folio, pro patria size, in pica, with long-primer notes. I com- 
posed of it a sheet a day, and Meredith worked it off at press ; 
it was often eleven at night, and sometimes later, before I 
had finished my distribution for the next day's work, for the 



6G BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

little jobs sent in by our other friends now and then put us 
back. But so determined I was to continue doing a sheet a 
day of the folio, that one night, when, having imposed my 
forms, I thought my day's work over, one of them by accident 
was broken, and two pages reduced to pi, I immediately dis- 
tributed and composed it over again before I went to bed ; and 
this industry, visible to our neighbors, began to give us char- 
acter and credit ; particularly, I was told, that mention being 
made of the new printing-office at the merchants' Every-night 
club, the general opinion was that it must fail, there being 
already two printers in the place, Keimer and Bradford ; but 
Dr. Baird (whom you and I saw many years after at his native 
place, St. Andrew's in Scotland) gave a contrary opinion : 
" For the industry of that Franklin," says he, " is superior to 
anything I ever saw of the kind ; I see him still at work 
when I go home from club, and he is at work again before his 
neighbors are out of bed." This struck the rest, and we soon 
after had offers from one of them to supply us with station- 
ery; but as yet we did not choose to engage in shop business. 

I mention this industry the more particularly and the more 
freely, though it seems to be talking in my own praise, that 
those of my posterity, who shall read it, may know the use of 
that virtue, when they see its effects in my favor throughout 
this relation. 

George Webb, who had found a female friend that lent him 
wherewith to purchase his time of Keimer, now came to offer 
himself as a journeyman to us. AVe could not then employ 
him ; but I foolishly let him know as a secret that I soon 
intended to begin a newspaper, and might then have work for 
him. My hopes of success, as I told him, were founded on 
this, that the then only newspaper, printed by Bradford, was 
a paltry thing, wretchedly managed, no way entertaining, and 
yet was profitable to him ; I therefore thought a good paper 
would scarcely fail of good encouragement. I requested 
Webb not to mention it ; but he told it to Keimer, who im- 
mediately, to be beforehand with me, published proposals 
for printing one himself, on which Webb was to be employed. 



J{ENJAMIN FKANKLTN^. G? 

I resented this ; and, to counteract tliem, as I could not yet 
begin our paper, I wrote several pieces of entertainment for 
Bradford's paper, under the title of the Busy Body, which 
Breintnal continued some months. By this means the atten- 
tion of the public was fixed on that paper, and Keimer's pro- 
posals, which were burlesqued and ridiculed, were disregarded. 
He began his paper, however, and, after carrying it on three 
quarters of a year, with at most only ninety subscribers, he 
offered it to me for a trifle ; and I, having been ready some 
time to go on with it, took it in hand directly ; and it proved 
in a few years extremely profitable to me.^ 

■I perceive that I am ajrt to speak in the singular number, 
though our partnership still continued ; the reason may be 
that, in fact, the whole management of the business lay upon 
me. Meredith was no compositor, a poor pressman, and sel- 
dom sober. My friends lamented my connection with him, but 
I was to make the best of it. 

Our first papers made a quite different appearance from any 
before in the province ; a better type, and better printed ; but 
some spirited remarks of my writing, on the dispute then going 
on between Governor Burnet and the Massachusetts Assembly, 
struck the principal people, occasioned the paper and the man- 
ager of it to be much talked of, and in a few weeks brought 
them all to be our subscribers. 

Their example was followed by many, and our number went 
on growing continually. This was one of the first good effects 
of my having learned a little to scribble ; another was, that the 
leading men, seeing a newspaper now in the hands of one who 
could also handle a pen, thought it convenient to oblige and 
encourage me. Bradford still printed the votes, and laws, 
and other public business. He had printed an address of the 
House to the governor, in a coarse, blundering manner ; we 
reprinted it elegantly and correctly, and sent one to every 



1. The name of this paper was "The Universal Instructor in all Arts and 
Sciences and Pennsylvania Gazette." The instruction was piven in the 
form of reprinted articles from Chambers' Cyclopaedia. Franklin dropped 
this feature of the paper and with it the corresponding part of the vitle. 



68 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

member. They were sensible of the difference : it strength- 
ened the hands of our friends in the House, and they voted us 
their printers for the year ensuing. 

Among my friends in the House I must not forget Mr. 
Hamilton, before mentioned, who was then returned from 
England, and had a seat in it. He interested himself for me 
strongly in that instance, as he did in many others afterward, 
continuing his patronage till his death. 

Mr, Vernon, about this time, put me in mind of the debt I 
owed him, but did not press me. I wrote him an ingenuous 
letter of acknowledgment, craved his forbearance a little 
longer, which he allowed me, and as soon as I was able, I paid 
the principal with interest, and many thanks ; so that erratum 
was in some degree corrected. 

But now another difficulty came upon me which I had never 
the least reason to expect. Mr. Meredith's father, who was 
to have paid for our printing-house, according to the expecta- 
tions given me, was able to advance only one hundred pounds 
currency, which had been paid ; and a hundred more was due 
to the merchant, who grew impatient, and sued us all. We 
gave bail, but saw that, if the money could not be raised in 
time, the suit must soon come to a judgment and execution, 
and our hopeful prospects must, with us, be ruined, as the 
press and letters must be sold for payment, perhaps at half 
price. 

In this distress two true friends, whose kindness I have never 
forgotten, nor ever shall forget while I can remember anything, 
came to me separately, unknown to each other, and, without 
any application from me, offering each of them to advance 
me all the money that should be necessary to enable me to 
take the whole business upon myself, if that should be prac- 
ticable ; but they did not like my continuing the partnership 
with Meredith, who, as they said, was often seen drunk in the 
streets, and playing at low games in alehouses, much to our 
discredit. These two friends were William Coleman and 
Robert Grace, I told them I* could not propose a separation 
while any prospect remained of the Merediths' fulfilling their 



BEN.) A MIX FRANKLIN. GO 

part of onr agreement, because I tlioiight myself under great 
obligations to them for what they had done, and would do if 
they could ; but, if they finally failed in their performance, 
and our partnership must be dissolved, I should then think 
myself at liberty to accept the assistance of my friends. 

Thus the matter rested for some time, when I said to my 
partner, " Perhaps your father is dissatisfied at the part you 
have undertaken in this affair of ours, and is unwilling to ad- 
vance for you and me what he would for you alone. If that 
is the case, tell me, and I will resign the whole to you, and go 
about my business." " No," said he, " my father has really 
been disappointed, and is really unable ; and I am unwilling 
to distress him farther. I see this is a business I am not fit 
for. I was bred a farmer, and it was a folly in me to come 
to town, and put myself, at thirty years of age, an apprentice 
to learn a new trade. Many of our Welsh people are going to 
settle in North Carolina, where land is cheap. I am inclined 
to go with them, and follow my old employment. You may 
find friends to assist you. If you will take the debts of the 
company upon you ; return to my father the hundred pound he 
has advanced ; pay my little personal debts, and give me thirty 
pounds and a new saddle, I will relinquish the partnership, 
and leave the whole in your hands." I agreed to this pro- 
posal ; it was drawn up in writing, signed, and sealed imme- 
diately. I gave him what he demanded, and he went soon 
after to Carolina, from whence he sent me next year two 
long letters, containing the best account that had been given 
of that country, the climate, the soil, husbandry, etc., for in 
those matters he was very judicious. I printed them in the 
papers, and they gave great satisfaction to the public. 

As soon as he was gone, I recurred to my two friends ; and 
because I would not give an unkind preference to either, I 
took half of what each had offered and I wanted of one, and 
half of the other ; paid off the company's debts, and went on 
with the business in my own name, advertising that the part- 
nership was dissolved. I think this was in or about the year 
1729. 



70 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

About this time there was a cry among the people for more 
paper money, only fifteen thousand pounds being extant in 
the province, and that soon to be sunk. The wealthy inhabi- 
tants opposed any addition, being against all paper currency, 
from an apprehension that it would depreciate, as it had done 
in New England, to the prejudice of all creditors. We had 
discussed this point in our Junto, where I was on the side of 
an addition, being persuaded that the first small sum struck 
in 1723 had done much good by increasing the trade, employ- 
ment, and number of inliabitants in the province, since I now 
saw all the old houses inhabited, and many new ones building; 
whereas I remembered well, that when I first walked about 
the streets of Philadelphia, eating my roll, I saw most of the 
houses in Walnut Street, between Second and Front Streets, 
with bills on their doors, "To be let" ; and many likewise in 
Chestnut Street and other streets, which made me then think 
the inhabitants of the city were deserting it one after another. 

Our debates possessed me so fully of the subject, that I 
wrote and printed an anonymous pamphlet on it, entitled 
"The Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency." It was 
well received by the common people in general ; but the rich 
men disliked it, for it increased and strengthened the clamor 
for more money, and they happening to have no writers 
among them that were able to answer it, their opposition 
slackened, and the point was carried by a majority in the 
House. My friends there, who conceived I had been of some 
service, thought fit to reward me by employing me in printing 
the money ; a very profitable job and a great help to me. 
This w^as another advantage gained by my being able to write. 

The utility of this currency became by time and experience 
so evident as never afterwards to be much disputed ; so that 
it grew soon to fifty-five thousand pounds, and in 1739 to 
eighty thousand pounds, since which it rose during war to 
upwards of three hundred and fifty thousand pounds, trade, 
building, and inhabitants all the while increasing, though I 
now think there are limits beyond which the quantity may be 
hurtful. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 71 

I soon after obtained, through my friend Hamilton, the 
printing of the Newcastle paper money, another profitable job 
as I then thought it ; small things appearing great to those in 
small circumstances ; and these, to me, were really great ad- 
vantages, as they were great encouragements. He procured 
for me, also, the printing of the laws and votes of that govern- 
ment, which continued in my hands as long as I followed the 
business. 

I now opened a little stationer's shop. I had in it blanks of 
all sorts, the correctest that ever appeared among us, being 
assisted in that by my friend Breintnal. I had also paper, 
parchment, chapmen's books, etc. One Whitemash, a com- 
positor I had known in London, an excellent workman, now 
came to me, and worked with me constantly and diligently ; 
and I took an apprentice, the son of Aquila Rose. 

I began now gradually to pay off the debt I was under for 
the printing-house. In order to secure my credit and char- 
acter as a tradesman, I took, care not only to be in reality 
industrious and frugal, but to avoid all appearances to the 
contrary. I dressed plainly; I was seen at no places of idle 
diversion. I never went out a fishing or shooting; a book, 
indeed, sometimes debauched me from my work, but that was 
seldom, snug, and gave no scandal; and to show that I was 
not above my business, I sometimes brought home the paper 
I purchased at the stores through the streets on a wheelbarrow^ 
Thus being esteemed an industrious, thriving young man, and 
paying duly for what I bought, the merchants who imported 
stationery solicited my custom; others proposed supplying me 
with books, and I went on swimmingly. In the mean time, 
Keimer's credit and business declining daily, he was at last 
forced to sell his printing-house to satisfy his creditors. He 
went to Barbadoes, and there lived some years in very poor 
circumstances. 

His apprentice, David Harry, whom I had instructed while 
I worked with him, set up in his place at Philadelphia, having 
bought his materials. I was at first apprehensive of a power- 
ful rival in Harry, as his friends w^ere very able, and had a 



72 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

good deal of interest. I therefore proposed a partnership to 
him, which he, fortunately for me, rejected with scorn. He 
was very proud, dressed like a gentleman, lived expensively, 
took much diversion and pleasure abroad, ran in debt, and 
neglected his business; upon which all business left him ; and 
finding nothing to do, he followed Keimer to Barbadoes, tak- 
ing the printing-house with him. There this apprentice em- 
ployed his former master as a journeyman; they quarreled 
often; Harry went continually behindhand, and at length was 
forced to sell his types and return to his country work in Penn- 
sylvania. The person that bought them employed Keimer to 
use them, but in a few years he died. 

There remained now no competitor with me at Philadelphia 
•but the old one, Bradford; who was rich and easy, did a little 
printing now and then by straggling hands, but was not very 
anxious about the business. However, as he kept the post- 
ofifice, it was imagined he had better opportunities of obtain- 
ing news; his paper was thought a better distributor of ad- 
vertisements than mine, and therefore had many more, which 
was a profitable thing to him, and a disadvantage to me; for, 
though T did indeed receive and send papers by post, yet the 
public opinion was otherwise, for what I did send was by 
bribing the riders, who took them privately, Bradford being 
unkind enough to forbid it, which occasioned some resent- 
ment on my part; and I thought so meanly of him for it, that, 
when I afterward came into his situation, I took care never 
to imitate it. 

I had hitherto continued to board with Godfrey, who lived 
in part of my house with his wife and children, and had one 
side of the shop for his glazier's business, though he worked 
little, being always absorbed in his mathematics. Mrs, God- 
frey projected a match for me with a relation's daughter, took 
opportunities of bringing us often together, till a serious 
courtship on my part ensued, the girl being in herself very 
deserving. The old folks encouraged me by continual invita- 
tions to supper, and by leaving us together, till at length it 
was time to explain. Mrs. Godfrey managed our little treaty. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 73 

I let her know that I expected as much money with their 
daughter as would paj^off my remaining debt for the printing-' 
house, whicli I believe was not then above a hundred pounds. 
She brought me word they had no such sum to spare ; I said 
they might mortgage their house in the loan-office. The 
answer to this, after some days, was, that they did not ap- 
prove the match ; that, on inquiry of Bradford, they had 
been informed the printing business was not a profitable one ; 
the types would soon be worn out, and more wanted ; that S. 
Keiraer and D. Harry had failed one after the other, and I 
should probably soon follow them ; and, Iherefore, I was for- 
bidden the house, and the daughter shut up. 

Whether this was a real change of sentiment, or only arti- 
fice, on a supposition of our being too far engaged in affection 
to retract, and therefore that we should steal a marriage, 
which would leave them at liberty to give or withhold what 
they pleased, I know not ; but I suspected the latter, resented 
it, and went no more. Mrs. Godfrey brought me afterward 
some more favorable accounts of their disposition, and would 
have drawn me on again ; but I declared absolutely ray reso- 
lution to have nothing more to do with that family. This was 
resented by the Godfreys ; we differed, and they removed, 
leaving me the whole house, and I resolved to take no more 
inmates. 

But this affair having turned my thoughts to marriage, I 
looked round me and made overtures of acquaintance in other 
places ; but soon found that, the business of a printer being 
generally thought a poor one, I was not to expect money with 
a wife, unless with such a one as I should not otherwise think 
agreeable. ... A friendly correspondence as neighbors and 
old acquaintances had continued between me and Mrs. Read's 
family, who all had a regard for me from the time of my first 
lodging in their house. I was often invited there and con- 
sulted in their affairs, wherein I sometimes was of service. I 
pitied poor Miss Read's unfortunate situation, who was gener- 
ally dejected, seldom cheerful, and avoided company. I con- 
sidered my giddiness and inconstancy when in London as in a 



74 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

great degree the cause of her unhappiness, though the mother 
was good enough to think the fault more her own than mine, 
as she had prevented our marrying before I went thither, and 
persuaded the other matcli in my absence. Our mutual affec- 
tion was revived, but there were now great objections to our 
union. The match was indeed looked upon as invalid, a pre- 
ceding wife being said to be living in England ; but this could 
not easily be proved, because of the distance ; and, though 
there was a report of his death, it was not certain. Then, 
though it should be true, he had left many debts, which his 
successor might be called upon to pay. We ventured, how- 
ever, over all these difficulties, and I took her to wife, Sep- 
tember 1st, 1730. None of the inconveniences happened that 
we had apprehended ; she proved a good and faithful help- 
mate, assisted me much by attending shop ; we throve to- 
gether, and have ever mutually endeavored to make each 
other happy. ^ Thus I corrected that great erratum as well as 
I could. 

About this time, our club meeting, not at a tavern, but in a 
little room of Mr. Grace's, set apart for that purpose, a prop- 
osition was made by me, that, since our books were often 
referred to in our disquisitions upon the queries, it might be 
convenient to us to have them all together where we met, that 
upon occasion they might be consulted ; and by thus clubbing 
our books to a common library, we should, while we liked to 
keep them together, have each of us the advantage of using 
the books of all the other members, which would be nearly as 
beneficial as if each owned the whole. It was liked and agreed 
to, and we filled one end of the room with such books as we 
could best spare. The number was not so great as we ex- 
pected ; and though they had been of great use, yet some 
inconveniences occurring for want of due care of them, the 
collection, after about a year, was separated, and each took 
his books home again. 

And now I set on foot my first project of a public nature, 

1. Mrs. Franklin served as the " faithful helpmate ■" over forty j'^ears. She 
died Dec. 19, 1774, while her husband was in London. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 75 

tluit for a subscription library. I drew up the proposals, got 
them put into form by our great scrivener, Brockden, and, by 
the help of my friends in the Junto, procured fifty subscribers 
of forty shillings each to begin with, and ton shillings a year 
for fifty years, the term our company was to continue. We 
afterwards obtained a charter, the company being increased 
to one hundred ; this was the mother of all the North Ameri- 
can subscription libraries, now so numerous. It is become a 
great thing itself, and continually increasing. These libraries 
have improved the general conversation of the Americans, 
made the common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as 
most gentlemen from ofeher countries, and perhaps have con- 
tributed in some degree to the stand so generally made 
throughout the colonies in defense of their privileges. 

Meni^. Thus far was written with the intention expressed 
in the beginning, and therefore contains several little family 
anecdotes of no importance to others. What follows was 
written many years after in compliance with the advice con- 
tained in these letters,' and accordingly intended for the pub- 
lic. The affairs of the Revolution occasioned the interrup- 
tion. 

Continuation of the Account of my Life, Begun at 
Passy, near Paris, 1784. 

It is some time since I received the above letters, but I have 
been too busy till now to think of complying with the request 
they contain. It might, too, be much better done if I were 
at home among my papers, which would md my memory, and 
help to ascertain dates ; but my return being uncertain, and 
having just now a little leisure, I will endeavor to recollect 
and write what I can ; if I live to get home, it may there be 
corrected and improved. 

Not having any copy here of what is already written, I 
know not whether an account is given of the means I used 



1. The letters from two friends, urj^in^ him to complete the Autobi- 
ograph}', are omitted, being of no interest in themselves. 



76 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

to establish the Philadelphia public library, which, from a 
small beginning, is now become so considerable, though I 
remember to have come down to near the time of that trans- 
action (1730). I will therefore begin here with an account of 
it, which may be struck out if found to have been already 
given. 

At the time I established myself in Pennsylvania, there was 
not a good bookseller's shop in any of the colonies to the 
southward of Boston. In New York and Philadelphia the 
printers were indeed stationers ; they sold only paper, etc., 
almanacs, ballads, and a few common school books. Those 
who loved reading were obliged to send for their books from 
England ; the members of the Junto had each a few. We 
had left the alehouse, where we first met, and hired a room to 
hold our club in. I proposed that we should all of us bring 
our books to that room, where they would not only be ready 
to consult in our conferences, but become a copimon benefit, 
each of us being at liberty to borrow such as he wished to 
read at home, This was accordingly done, and for some time 
contented us. 

Finding the advantage of this little collection, I proposed 
to render the benefit from books more common, by commenc- 
ing a public subscription library. I drew a sketch of the 
plan and rules that would be necessary, and got a skillful con- 
veyancer, Mr. Charles Brockden, to put the whole in form of 
articles of agreement to be subscribed, by which each sub- 
scriber engaged to pay a certain sum down for the first pur- 
chase of books, and an annual contribution for increasing 
them. So few were the readers at that time in Philadelphia, 
and the majority of us so poor, that I was not able, with great 
industry, to find more than fifty persons, mostly young trades- 
men, willing to pay down for this purpose forty shillings each, 
and ten shillings per annum. On this little fund we began. 
The books were imported ; the library was opened one day in 
the week for lending to the subscribers, on their promissory 
notes to pay double the value if not duly returned. The in- 
stitution soon manifested its utility, was imitated by other 



BEI^JAMIN- FRANKLIN. ^1 

towns, and in other provinces. The libraries were augmented 
by donations ; reading became fashionable ; and our people, 
having no public amusements to divert their attention from 
study, became better acquainted with books, and in a few 
years were observed by strangers to be better instructed and 
more intelligent than people of the same rank generally are in 
other countries. 

When we were about to sign the above-mentioned articles, 
which were to be binding on us, our heirs, etc., for fifty years, 
Mr. Brockden, the scrivener, said to us: "You are young 
men, but it is scarcely probable that any of you will live to 
see the expiration of the term fixed in the instrument." A 
number of us, however, are yet living; but the instrument 
was after a few years rendered null by a charter that incor- 
porated and gave perpetuity to the company. 

The objections and reluctances I met with in soliciting the 
subscriptions made me soon feel the impropriety of presenting 
one's self as the proposer of any useful project, that might be 
supposed to raise one's reputation in the smallest degree 
above that of one's neighbors, when one has need of their 
assistance to accomplish that project. I therefore put myself 
as much as I could out of sight, and stated it as a scheme of 
a number of friends, who had requested me to go about and 
propose it to such as they thought lovers of reading. In this 
way my affair went on more smoothly, and I ever after prac- 
ticed it on such occasions; and, from my frequent successes, 
can heartily recommend it. The present little sacrifice of 
your vanity will afterwards be amply repaid. If it remains a 
while uncertain to whom the merit belongs, some one more 
vain than yourself will be encouraged to claim it, and then 
even envy will be disposed to do you justice by plucking those 
assumed feathers, and restoring them to their right owner. 

This library afforded me the means of improvement by con- 
stant study, for which I set apart an hour or two each day, 
and thus repaired in some degree the loss of the learned 
education my father once intended for me. Reading was the 
only amusement I allowed myself. I spent no time in taverns, 



78 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

games, or frolics of any kind; and my industry in my busi- 
ness continued as indefatigable as it was necessary. I was 
indebted for ray printing-house; I had a young family coming 
on to be educated, and I had to contend with for business two 
printers, who were established in the place before me. My 
circumstances, however, grew daily easier. My original 
habits of frugality continuing, and my father having, among 
his instructions to me when a boy, frequently repeated a 
proverb of Solomon, " Seest thou a man diligent in his calling, 
he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean 
men," I from thence considered industry as a means of 
obtaining wealth and distinction, which encouraged me, 
though I did not think that I should ever literally stand 
before kmffs, which, however, has since happened; for I have 
stood before ^ue, and even had the honor of sitting down with 
one, the King of Denmark, to dinner. 

We have an English proverb that says, "^e that would 
thrive must ash his wifey It was lucky for me that I had 
one as much disposed to industry and frugality as myself. 
She assisted me cheerfully in my business, folding and stitch- 
ing pamphlets, tending shop, purchasing old linen rags for the 
paper-makers, etc., etc. We kept no idle servants, our table 
was plain and simple, our furniture of the cheapest. For 
instance, my breakfast was a long time bread and milk (no 
tea), and I ate it out of a two-penny earthen porringer, with 
a pewter spoon. But mark how luxury will enter families, 
and make a progress, in spite of principle: being called one 
morning to breakfast, I found it in a China bowl, with a 
spoon of silver! They had been bought for me without my 
knowledge by my wife, and had cost her the enormous sum of 
three-and- twenty shillings, for which she had no other excuse 
or apology to make, but that she thought her husband 
deserved a silver spoon and China bowl as well as any of his 
neighbors. This was the tirst appearance of plate and China 
in our house, which afterward, in a course of years, as our 
wealth increased, augmented gradually to several hundred 
pounds in value. 



. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 79 

I liad been religiously educated as a Presbyterian; and 
though some of the dogmas of that persuasion, such as the 
eternal decrees of God, election, rep?vbation, etc. , appeared to 
me unintelligible, others doubtful, and I early absented 
myself from the public assemblies of the sect, Sunday being 
my studying day, I never was without some religious princi- 
ples. I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the 
Deity; that He made the world, and governed it by His Provi- 
dence; tliat the most acceptable service of God was the doing 
good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime 
will be punished, and virtue rewarded, either here or here- 
after. These I esteemed the essentials of every religion; and, 
being to be found in all the religions we had in our country, I 
respected them all, though with different degrees of respect, 
as I found them more or less mixed with other articles, which, 
without any tendency to inspire, promote, or confirm morality, 
served principally to divide us, and make us unfriendly to one 
another. Tiiis respect to all, with an opinion that the worst 
liad some good effects, induced me to avoid all discourse that 
might tend to lessen tlic good opinion another might have of 
liis own religion; and as our province increased in people, and 
new places of worship were continually wanted, and generally 
erected by voluntary contribution, my mite for such purpose, 
whatever might be the sect, was never refused. 

Though I seldom attended any public worship, I had still 
an opinion of its propriety, and of its utility when rightly 
conducted, and I regularly paid my annual subscription for 
the .support of the only Presbyterian minister or meeting we 
had in Philadelphia. He used to visit me sometimes as a 
friend, and admonish me to attend his administrations, and I 
was now and then prevailed on to do so, once for five Sundays 
successively. Had he been in my opinion a good preacher, 
perhaps I might have continued, notwithstanding the occasion 
I had for the Sunday's leisure in my course of study; but his 
discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments, or explica- 
tions of the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me 
very dry, uninteresting, and unedifying, since not a single 



80 BEN"JAMIN FRAKKLIN 

moral principle was inculcated or enforced, their aim seeming 
to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens. 

At length he took for his text that verse of the fourth 
chapter of Philippians : '''■Finally^ hretliren^ whatsoever 
things are true^ honest, just, pure, lovely, or of good report, 
if there he any virtue, or any praise, think on these things.'''' 
And I imagined, in a sermon on such a text, we could not miss 
of having some morality. But he confined himself to five 
points only, as meant by the apostle, viz.: 1. Keeping holy 
the Sabbath-day. 2. Being diligent in reading the holy 
Scriptures. 3. Attending duly the public worship. 4. Par- 
taking of the Sacrament. 5. Paying a due respect to God's 
ministers. These might be all good things; but, as they were 
not the kind of good things that I expected from that text, I 
despaired of ever meeting with them from any other, was dis- 
gusted, and attended his preaching no more. I had some 
years before composed a little Liturgy, or form of prayer, for 
my own private use (viz., in 1728), entitled "Articles of 
Belief and Acts of Pieligion." I returned to the use of this, 
and went no more to the public assemblies. My conduct 
might be blamable, but I leave it, without attempting 
further to excuse it; my present purpose being to relate facts, 
and not to make apologies for them. 

It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous 
project of arriving at moral perfection. I wished to live 
without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer 
all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might 
lead me into. As I knew, 'or thought I knew, what was right 
and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one 
and avoid the other. But I soon found 1 had undertaken 
a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my 
care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often 
surprised by another; habit took the advantage of inatten- 
tion; inclination was sometimes too strong for reason. I 
concluded, at length, that the mere speculative conviction 
that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not 
sufiicient to prevent our slipping; and that the contrary 



BE^^TJAMIN FRANKLIN. 81 

habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and estab- 
lished, before we can have any dependence on a steady, 
uniform rectitude of conduct. For this purpose I therefore 
contrived the following method. 

In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met 
with in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less 
numerous, as different writers included more or fewer ideas 
under the same name. Temperance, for example, was by 
some confined to eating and drinking, while by others it was 
extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure, ap- 
petite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our 
avarice and ambition. I proposed to myself, for the sake of 
clearness, to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annexed 
to each, than a few names with more ideas ; and I included 
under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred 
to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short 
precept, which fully expressed the extent I gave to its mean- 
ing. 

These names of virtues, with their precepts, were : 

1. Temperance. 
Eat not to dullness ; drink not to elevation. 

3. Silence. 
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself ; avoid 
trifling conversation. 

3. Order. 
Let all your things have their places ; let each part of yonr 
business have its time. 

4. Eesolution. 

■Resolve to perform what you ought ; perform without fail 
what you resolve. 

5. Frugality. 

Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself ; i.e., 
waste nothing. 



82 BEMJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

6. Industry. 

Lose no time ; be always employed in something useful ; 
cut off all unnecessary actions. 

7. Sincerity. 

Use no hurtful deceit ; think innocently and justly ; and, if 
you speak, speak accordingly. 

8. Justice. 
Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that 
are your duty. 

9. Moderation. 

Avoid extremes ; forbear resenting injuries so much as you 
think they deserve. 

10. Cleanliness. 

Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation. 

11. Tranquillity. 
Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or un- 
avoidable. 

12. Chastity. 

13. Humility. 
Imitate Jesus and Socrates. 

My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these 
virtues, I judged it would be well not to distract my attention 
by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them 
at a time ; and, when I should be master of that, then to 
proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone through 
the thirteen ; and, as the previous acquisition of some might 
facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them 
with that view, as they stand above. Temperance first, as it 
tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head which is 
so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and 
guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient 



BENJAMm FRAKKLIN. 83 

habits, and the force of perpetual temptations. This being 
acquired and established, Silence would be more easy ; and 
my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I 
improved in virtue, and considering that in conversation it 
was obtained rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, 
and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into of 
prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me accept- 
able to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. 
This and the next. Order, I expected would allow me more 
time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, 
once become habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavors 
to obtain all the subsequent virtues ; Frugality and Industry 
freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence 
and independence, would make more easy the practice of 
Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc. Conceiving then, that, agree- 
ably to the advice of Pythagoras in his Golden Verses,* daily 
examination would be necessary, I contrived the following 
method for conducting that examination. 

I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of 
the virtues. I ruled each page with red ink, so as to have 
seven columns, one for each day of the week, marking each 
column with a letter for the day. I crossed these columns 
with thirteen red lines, marking the beginning of each line 
with the first letter of one of the virtues, on which line, and 
in its proper column, I might mark, by a little black spot,' 
every fault I found upon examination to have been committed 
respecting that virtue upon that day. 

I determined to give a week's strict attention to each of the 



1. A part of the verses is thus rendered from the version of HIerocles: 
"How will our remembrance reprehend us for doing ill, or praise us for 
doing well, unless the preceding meditation receive some laws, according 
to which tlie whole tenor of our life should be ordered, and to which we 
should conform the very private recesses of conscience all our lives long ? 
He requires also that this examination be daily repeated, that by continual 
returns of recollection we may not be deceived in our judgment. The time 
which he recommends for this work is about even or bed-time, that we may 
conclude the action of the day with the judgment of conscience, making 
the examination of our conversation an evening song to God. Wherein 
have I transgressed ? What have I done ? What duty have I omitted ? 
So shall we measure our lives by the rules above mentioned, if to the law of 
the mind we join the judgment of reason." 



84 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



virtues successively. Thus, in the first week, my great guard 
was to avoid every the least offence against Temperance^ leav- 
ing the other virtues to their ordinary chance, only marking 
every evening the faults of the day. Thus, if in the first 
week I could keep my first line, marked T, clear of spots, I 
supposed the habit of that virtue so much strengthened, and 
its opposite weakened, that I might venture extending my 
attention to include the next, and for the following week keep 
both lines clear of spots. Proceeding thus to the last, I could 
go through a course complete in thirteen weeks, and four 
courses in a year. And like him who, having a garden to 
weed, does not attempt to eradicate all the bad herbs at once, 
which would exceed his reach and his strength, but works on 



Form of the Pages. 



TEMPERANCE. 


EAT NOT TO DULLNESS ; 
DRINK NOT TO ELEVATION. 




S. 


M. 


T. 


W. 


T. 


F. 


S. 


T. 
















S. 


* 


4: 




* 




* 




o. 


** 


* 


* 




* 


* 


* 


R. 






* 






* 




F. 




* 






* 


1 


I. 






* 






1 


S. 
















J. 
















M. 
















C. 














T. 

















C. 














H. 












1 



BEi^JAAUK FRANKLIN". 85 

one of the beds at a time, and, having accomphshed the fn-st, 
proceeds to a second, so I should liave, I hoped, the encourag- 
ing pleasure of seeing on my pages the progress I made in 
virtue, by clearing successively my lines of their spots, till in 
the end, by a number of courses, T should be happy in view- 
ing a clean book, after a thirteen weeks' daily examination. 

This my little book had for its motto these lines from Addi- 
son's Cato : 

" Here will I hold. If there's a power above us 
(And that there is, all nature cries aloud 
Through all her works), He must delight in virtue; 
And that which He delights in must be happy." 

Another from Cicero : 

" O vitae Philosophia dux! O virtutum indagatrix expultrixque vitiorum! 
Unus dies, bene et ex praeceptis tuis actus, peccanti immortaUtati est ante- 
ponendus." i 

Anotlier from the Proverbs of Solomon, speaking of wisdom 

or virtue : 

" Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor. 
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace," iii. IG, 17. 

And conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought 
it right and necessary to solicit His assistance for obtaining it ; 
to this end I formed the following little prayer, which was 
prefixed to my tables of examination, for daily use : 

^'' O potoerful Goodness ! bountiful Father ! merciful G^iide ! Increase in 
me that wisdom which discovers mi/ truest interest. Strengthen my resolu- 
tions to perform ivhat that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to Thy 
other children as the only return in my poiver for thy continual favors to 
jjte." 

I used also sometimes a little prayer which I took from 
Thomson's Poems, viz, : 

" Father of light and life, thou Good Supreme! 
O teach me what is good ; teach me Thyself 1 
Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, 
From every low pursuit; and fill my soul 
With knowledge, const^ious peace, and virtue pure ; 
Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss!" 

1. "O Philosophy, guide of life! O discoverer of virtues and expeller of 
vices I one day, lived well and according to thy precepts, is to be preferred 
tio wa. eternity of sinning." 



86 



BEKJAMIiq^ FRANKLIN. 



The precept of Order requiring that every part of my busi- 
ness sJiould have its allotted time, one page in my little book 
contained the following scheme of employment for the twenty- 
four hours of a natural day: 



The Morning. 
Question. What good shall I do 
this day ? 



Noon. 



Evening. 
Question. What good have 
done to-day ? 



Night. 



r 61 



I 9J 

rioi 
11 

12 

1 

2 
3 
4 



Rise, wash, and address" Poiwer- 
ful Goodness! Contrive day's 
business, and take the resolution 
of the day ; prosecute the present 
study, and breakfast. 



Work. 



Read, or overlook my accounts, 
and dine. 



Work. 



Put things in their places. Sup- 
per. Music or diversion, or con- 
versation. Examination of the 
day. 



Sleep. 



I entered upon the execution of this plan for self-examina- 
tion, and continued it with occasional intermissions for some 
time. I was surprised to find myself so much fuller of faults 
than I had imagined ; but I had the satisfaction of seeing 
them diminish. To avoid the trouble of renewing now and 
then my little book, which, by scraping out the marks on the 
paper of old faults to make room for new ones in a new course, 
became full of holes, I transferred my tables and precepts to 
the ivory leaves of a memorandum-book, on which the lines 
were drawn with red ink, that made a durable stain, and on 
those lines I marked my faults with a black-lead pencil, which 
marks I could easily wipe out with a wet sponge. After a 
while I went through one course only in a year, and after- 
ward only one in several years, till at length I omitted them 
entirely, being employed in voyages and business abroad, 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 87 

with a multiplicity of affairs that interfered ; but I always 
carried my little book with me. 

My scheme of Order gave me the most trouble ; and ■ I 
found that, though it might be practicable where a man's 
business was such as to leave him the disposition of his time, 
that of a journeyman printer, for instance, it was not possi- 
ble to be exactly observed by a master, who must mix with 
the world, and often receive people of business at their own 
hours. Order^ too, with regard to places for things, papers, 
etc., I found extremely difficult to acquire. 1 had not been 
early accustomed to it, and, having an exceeding good memory, 
I was not so sensible of the inconvenience attending want of 
method. This article, therefore, cost me so much painful 
attention, and my faults in it vexed me so much, and I 
made so little progress in amendment, and had such frequent 
relapses, that I was almost ready to give up the attempt, and 
content myself with a faulty character in that respect, like 
the man who, in buying an ax of a smith, my neighbor, de- 
sired to have the whole of its surface as bright as the edge. 
The Smith consented to grind it bright for him if he would 
turn the wheel ; he turned, while the smith pressed the broad 
face of the ax hard and heavily on the stone, which made the 
turning of it very fatiguing. The man came every now and 
then from the wheel to see how the work went on, and at 
length would take his ax as it was, without farther grinding. 
"No," said the smith, "turn on, turn on; we shall have it 
bright by and by ; as yet, it is only speckled." "Yes," says 
the man, '■'■hut I think I like a speckled ax besty And I 
believe this may have ^een the case with many, who, having, 
for want of some such means as I employed, found the diffi- 
culty of obtaining good and breaking bad habits in other 
points of vice and virtue, have given up the struggle, and 
concluded that "a speckled ax was best;''"' for something, 
that pretended to be reason, was every now and then suggest- 
ing to me that such extreme nicety as I exacted of myself 
might be a kind of foppery in morals, which, if it were known, 
would make me ridiculous ; that a perfect character might be 



88 BENJAMIK FRANKLIN. 

attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated ; 
and that a benevolent man should allow a few faults in him- 
self to keep his friends in countenance. 

In truth, I found myself incorrigible, with respect to Order; 
and now I am grown old, and my memory bad, I feel very 
sensibly the want of it.* But, on the whole, though I never 
arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtain- 
ing, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a 
better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if 
I had not attempted it ; as those who aim at perfect writing 
by imitating the engraved copies, though they never reach the 
wished-for excellence of those copies, their hand is mended by 
the endeavor, and is tolerable while it continues fair and 
legible. 

It may be well my posterity should be informed that to this 
little artifice, with the blessing of God, their ancestor owed 
the constant felicity of his life, down to his seventy -ninth year, 
in which this is written. What reverses may attend the re- 
mainder is in the hand of Providence ; but, if they arrive, the 
reflection on past happiness enjoyed ought to help his bearing 
them with more resignation. To Temperance he ascribes his 
long-continued health, and what is still left to him of a good 
constitution ; to Industry and Frugality, the eai-ly easiness of 
his circumstances and acquisition of his fortune, with all that 
knowledge that enabled him to be a useful citizen, and 
obtained for him some degree of reputation among the learned ; 
to Sincerity and Justice, the confidence of his country, and 
the honorable employs it conferred upon him ; and to the 
joint influence of the whole mass of the virtues, even in the 
imperfect state he was able to acquire them, all that evenness 
of temper, and that cheerfulness in conversation, which 
makes his company still sought for, and agreeable even to his 



1. When the orderly, business-like Adams joined Franklin as fellow-com- 
missiouer in France, "he was sliocked at the confusion in wliicli he saw all 
the papers of tlie embassy, and set vigorously about tlie task of sorting, 
labeling, docketing, and tying up letters and accounts.'" — Morsels Life of 
Franklin, p. 291. 



BENJAMIi^^ FRANKLIN^. 89 

younger acquaintance. I hope, therefore, that some of my 
descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit. 

It will be remarked that, though my scheme was not wholly 
without religion, there was in it no mark of any of the dis- 
tinguishing tenets of any particular sect. I had purposely 
avoided them; for, being fully persuaded of the utility and 
excellency of my method, and that it might be serviceable to 
people in all religions, and intending some time or other to 
publish it, I would not have anything in it that should preju- 
dice any one, of any sect, against it. I purposed writing a 
little comment on each virtue, in which I would have shown 
the advantages of possessing it, and the mischiefs attending 
its opposite vice ; and I should have called my book The Art 
OF Virtue, because it would have shown the means and man- 
ner of obtaining virtue, which would have distinguished it 
from the mere exhortation to be good, that does not instruct 
and indicate the means, but is like the apostle's man of verbal 
charity, who only without showing to the naked and hungry 
how or where they might get clothes or victuals, exhorted 
them to be fed and clothed.— James ii. 15, 16. 

But it so happened that my intention of writing and pub- 
lishing this comment was never fulfilled. I did, indeed, from 
time to time put down short hints of the sentiments, reason- 
ings, etc., to be made use of in it, some of which I have still 
by me; but the necessary close attention to private business in 
the earlier part of my life, and public business since, have oc- 
casioned my postponing it; for, it being connected in my mind 
with a great and extensive project, that required the whole 
man to execute, and which an unforeseen succession of em- 
ploys prevented my attending to, it has hitherto remained 
unfinished. ^ 

1. The " Art of Virtue " was first suggested in one of Franklin's " Busy- 
Body" papers, in 17'^8, which begins thus: "It is said that the Peisians, in 
their ancient constitution, had public schools in which virtue was taught as 
a Uberal art or science.''' This practical method of propagating virtue was 
a favorite scheme, as shown by his frequently recurring to it until extreme 
old age. In 17()0 he discusses it in a letter to Lord Karnes, insisting that 
"To acquire those [virtues] that are wanting, and secure what we acquire, 
as well as those we have naturally, is the subject of an art. It is as prop- 
erly an art as painting, navigation, or architecture." A year later lie 



90 BEN^JAMIK FRANKLIiq", 

In this piece it was my design to explain and enforce this 
doctrine, that vicious actions are not hurtful because they are 
forbidden, but forbidden because they are hurtful, the nature 
of man alone considered; that it was, therefore, every one's 
interest to be virtuous who wished to be happy even in this 
world; and I should, from this circumstance (there being 
always in the world a number of rich merchants, nobility, 
states, and princes, who have need of honest instruments for 
the management of their affairs, and such being so rare), have 
endeavored to convince young persons that no qualities were 
so likely to make a poor man's fortune as those of probity and 
integrity. 

My list of virtues contained at first but twelve; but a Quaker 
friend having kindly informed me that I was generally thought 
proud; that my pride showed itself frequently in conversation; 
that I was not content with being in the right when discuss- 
ing any point, but was overbearing, and rather insolent, of 
which he convinced me by mentioning several instances; I de- 
termined endeavoring to cure myself, if I could, of this vice 
or folly among the rest, and I added Humility to my list, giv- 
ing an extensive meaning to the word. 

I cannot boast of much success in acquiring the reality of 
this virtue, but I had a good deal with regard to the appear- 
ance of it. I made it a rule to forbear all direct contradiction 
to the sentiments of others, and all positive assertion of my 
own. I even forbid myself, agreeably to the old laws of our 
Junto, the use of every word or expression in the language 
that imported a fixed opinion, such as certainly, undoiihtedly , 
etc., and I adopted, instead of them, I conceive, I apprehend, 
or I imagine a thing to be so or so; or it so appears to me at 
present. When another asserted something that I thought an 
error, T denied myself the pleasure of contradicting him 
abruptly, and of showing immediately some absurdity in his 
proposition; and in answering I began by observing that in 

writes: " Yon will not doubt my being serious in the intention of finisliing 
my 'Art of Virtue.' It is not a mere ideal work. I planned it first in 1732. 
. . . The materials have been growing ever since. The forni only is now 
to be given." 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 91 

certain cases or circumstances his opinion would be right, but 
ill the present case there apjjeared or seemed to me some dif- 
ference, etc. I soon found the advantage of this change in 
my manner; the conversations I engaged in went on more 
pleasantly. The modest way in which I proposed my opin- 
ions procured them a readier reception and less contradiction; 
I had less mortification when I was found to be in the wrong, 
and I more easily prevailed with others to give up their mis- 
takes and join with me when I happened to be in the right. 

And this mode, which I at first put on with some violence 
to natural inclination, became at length so easy, and so habit- 
ual to me, that perhaps for these fifty years past no one has 
ever heard a dogmatical expression escape me. And to this 
habit (after my character of integrity) I think it principally 
owing that I had early so much weight with my fellow citizens 
when I proposed new institutions, or alterations in the old, 
and so much influence in public councils when I became a 
member ; for I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent, sub- 
ject to much hesitation in my choice of words, hardly correct 
in language, and yet I generally carried my points. 

In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions 
so hard to subdue as jy^'wZe. Disguise it, struggle with it, 
beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it 
is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show 
itself ; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history ; for, 
even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, 
I should probably be proud of my humility. 

I AM NOW ABOUT TO WRITE AT HOME, AUGUST, 1788, BUT CAN- 
NOT HAVE THE HELP EXPECTED FROM MY PAPERS, MANY OF 
THEM BEING LOST IN THE WAR. I HAVE, HOWEVER, FOUND 
THE FOLLOWING. 

Having mentioned a great and extensive project which I 
had conceived, it seems proper that some account should be 
here given of that project and its object. Its first rise in my 
mind appears in the following little paper, accidentally pre- 
served, viz.; 



92 BENJAMIN FRANKLIiq-. 

Observations on my reading history, in Library, May 19th, 
1731. 

" That the great affairs of the world, the wars, revolutions, 
etc. , are carried on and effected by parties. 

"That the view of these parties is their present general 
interest, or what they take to be such. 

" That the different views of these different parties occasion 
all confusion. 

" That while a party is carrying on a general design, each 
man has his particular private interest in view. 

" That as soon as a party has gained its general point, each 
member becomes intent upon his particular interest ; which, 
thwarting others, breaks that party into divisions, and occa- 
sions more confusion. 

"That few in public affairs act from a mere view of the 
good of their country, whatever they may pretend ; and, 
though their actings bring real good to their country, yet men 
primarily considered that their own and their country's inter- 
est was united, and did not act from a principle of benevo- 
lence. 

"That fewer still, in public affairs, act with a view to the 
good of mankind. 

' ' There seems to me at present to be great occasion for 
raising a United Party for Virtue, by forming the virtuous 
and good men of all nations into a regular body, to be gov- 
erned by suitable good and wise rules, which good and wise 
men may probably be more unanimous in their obedience to, 
than common people are to common laws. 

" I at present think that whoever attempts this aright, and 
is well qualified, cannot fail of pleasing God, and of meeting 
with success. B. F." 

Revolving this project in my mind, as to be undertaken 
hereafter, when my circumstances should afford me the nec- 
essary leisure, I put down from time to time, on pieces of 
paper, such thoughts as occurred to me respecting it. Most 
of these ^re lost ; but I find one purporting to be the sub- 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 93 

Stance of an intended creed, containing, as I thought, the 
essentials of every known religion, and being free of every- 
thing that might shock the professors of any religion. It is 
expressed in these words, viz. : 

*' That there is one God, w^ho made all things. 

" That He governs the world by His providence. 

''That He ought to be worshiped by adoration, prayer, and 
thanksgiving. 

" But that the most acceptable service of God is doing good 
to man. 

" That the soul is immortal. 

"And that God will certainly reward virtue and punish 
vice, either here or hereafter." 

My ideas at that time were, that the sect should be begun 
and spread at first among young and single men only ; that 
each person to be initiated should not only declare his assent 
to such creed, but should have exercised himself with the 
thirteen weeks' examination and practice of the virtues, as in 
the before-mentioned model ; that the existence of such a 
society should be kept a secret, till it was become considerable, 
to prevent solicitations for the admission of improper persons, 
but that the members should each of them search among his 
acquaintance for ingenuous, well-disposed youths, to whom, 
with prudent caution, the scheme should be gradually com- 
municated ; that the members should engage to afford their 
advice, assistance, and support to each other in promothig one 
another's interests, business, and advancement in life; that, for 
distinction, we should be called The Society of the Free and 
Easy : free, as being, by the general practice and habit of the 
virtues, free from the dominion of vice ; and particularly by 
the practice of industry and frugality, free from debt, which 
exposes a man to confinement, and a species of slavery to his 
creditors. 

This is as much as I can now recollect of the project, except 
that I communicated it in part to two young men, who 
adopted it with some enthusiasm ; but my then narrow cir- 
cumstances, and the necessity I was under of sticking close to 



94 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

m}^ business, occasioned my postponing the further prosecu- 
tion of it at that time ; and my multifarious occupations, 
public and private, induced me to continue postponing, so 
that it has been omitted till I have no longer strength or 
activity left sufficient for such an enterprise ; though I am still 
of opinion that it was a practicable scheme, and might have 
been very useful, by forming a great number of good citizens : 
and I was not discouraged by the seeming magnitude of the 
undertaking, as 1 have always thought that one man of toler- 
able abilities may work great changes, and accomplish great 
affairs among mankind, if he first forms a good plan, and, 
cutting off all amusements or other employments that would 
divert his attention, makes the execution of that same plan 
his sole study and business. 

In 1732 I first published my Almanac, under the name of 
Richard Saunders ; it was continued by me about twenty-five 
years, commonly called Poor Richard^s Almanac. I endeav- 
ored to make it both entertaining and useful, and it accord- 
ingly came to be in such demand, that I reaped considerable 
profit from it, vending annually near ten thousand. And 
observing that it was generally read, scarce any neighborhood 
in the province being without it,^ I considered it as a proper 
vehicle for conveying instruction among the common people, 
who bought scarcely any other books ; I therefore filled all 
the little spaces that occurred between the remarkable days in 
the calendar with proverbial sentences, chiefly such as incul- 
cated industry and frugality, as the means of procuring 
wealth, and thereby securing virtue ; it being more difficult 
for a man in want to act always honestly, as, to use here one 
of those proverbs, it is hard for an empty sack to stand up- 
right. 



1. " Mr. Saunders became a personagre as well known in that age as Josh 
Billings and Mrs. Partington in ours. He became a type, and more than one 
piece of wisdom he never was guilty of writing owed its currency to the 
words, ' As Poor Kichard says.' His sayings passed into the daily speech of 
the people, were quoted in sermons, were printed on the title-pages of 
pamphlets and used as mottoes by the newspaper moralists of the d.iy, and 
continued down even to the Revolution to be read with avidity."— Mc- 
Master''s Life of Franklin. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 95 

These proverbs, which contahied the wisdom of many ages 
and nations, I assembled and formed into a connected dis- 
course prefixed to the Almanac of 1757, as the harangue of a 
wise old man to the people attending an auction.' The bring- 
ing all these scattered counsels thus into a focus enabled them 
to make greater impression. The piece, being universally 
approved, was copied in all the newspapers of the Continent ; 
reprinted in Britain on a broadside, to be stuck up in houses ; 
two translations were made of it in French, and great numbers 
bought by the clergy and gentry, to distribute gratis among 
their poor parishioners and tenants. In Pennsylvania, as it 
discouraged useless expense in foreign superfluities, some 
thought it had its share of influence in producing that grow- 
ing plenty of money which was observable for several years 
after its publication. 

I considered my newspaper, also, as another means of com- 
municating instruction, and in that view frequently reprinted 
in it extracts from the Spectator, and other moral writers ; 
and sometimes published little pieces of my own, which had 
been first composed for reading in our Junto. Of these are a 
Socratic dialogue, tending to prove that, whatever might be 
his parts and abilities, a vicious man could not properly be 
called a man of sense ; and a discourse on self-denial, showing 
that virtue was not secure till its practice became a habitude, 
and was free from the opposition of contrary inclinations. 
These may be found in the papers about the beginning of 
1735. 

In the conduct of my newspaper, I carefully excluded all 
libeling and personal abuse, which is of late years become so 

1. This discourse is known as " Father Abraham's Speech.'' It has been 
many times repubhshed under the title "The Way to Wealth." "Since 
that day," says McMaster, " it has spread over the whole of Europe, and 
may now be read in French, in German, in Spanish, in Italian, in Russian,- 
in the language of Holland, in the language of Bohemia, in modern Greek, 
in Gaelic, and in Portuguese." Under the title "La Science du Bonhomme 
Richard," it has been thirty times printed in French, and twice in Italian. 
Among the familiar proverbs of the speech are these: " Little strokes fell 
great oaks," "Three removes are as bad as a fire." " Fools make feasts 
and wise men eat them," " He that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing," 
"One to-day is worth two to-morrows," "Early to bed and eaily to rise, 
makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," " Experience keeps a dear school, 
but fools will learn in no other, as Poor Richard says." 



96 BEKJAMIK FHANKLIK. 

disgraceful to our country. Whenever I was solicited to insert 
anything of (hat kind, and the writers pleaded, as they gen- 
erally did, the liberty of the press, and that a newspaper was 
like a stage-coach, in which any one who would pay had a 
right to a place, my answer was, that I would print the piece 
separately if desired, and the author might have as many 
copies as he pleased to distribute himself, but that I would 
not take upon me to spread his detraction ; and that, having 
contracted with my subscribers to furnish them with what 
might be either useful or entertaining, I could not fill their 
I^apers with private altercation, in which they had no concern, 
without doing them manifest injustice. Now, many of our 
printers make no scruple of gratifying the malice of individ- 
uals by false accusations of the fairest characters among our- 
selves, augmenting animosity even to the producing of duels ; 
and are, moreover, so indiscreet as to print scurrilous reflec- 
tions on the government of neighboring states, and even on 
the conduct of our best national allies, which may be attended 
with the most pernicious consequences. These things I men- 
tion as a caution to young printers, and that they may be 
encouraged not to pollute their presses and disgrace their 
profession by such infamous practices, but refuse steadily, as 
they may see by my example that such a course of conduct 
will not, on the whole, be injurious to their interests. 

In 1733 I sent one of my journeymen to Charleston, South 
Carolina, where a printer was wanting. I furnished him with 
a press and letters, on an agreement of partnership, by which 
I was to receive one third of the profits of the business, paying 
one third of the expense. He was a man of learning, and 
honest but ignorant in matters of account ; and, though he 
sometimes made me remittances, I could get no account from 
him, nor any satisfactory state of our partnership while he 
lived. On his decease, the business was continued by his 
widow, who, being born and bred in Holland, where, as I have 
been informed, the knowledge of accounts makes a part of 
female education, she not only sent me as clear a state as she 
could find of the transactions past, but continued to account 



BENJAMTT^ FRANKLIIT. 07 

with the greatest reguhirity and exactness every quarter after- 
wards, and managed the business with such success, that she 
not only brought up i;ei)utably a family of children, but, at 
the expiration of the term, was able to purchase of me the 
printing-house, and establish her son in it. 

I mention this affair chiefly for the sake of recommending 
that branch of education for our young females, as likely to 
be of more use to them and their children, in case of widow- 
hood, than either music or dancing, by preserving them from 
losses by imposition of crafty men, and enabling them to con- 
tinue, perhaps, a profitable mercantile house, with established 
correspondence, till a son is grown up fit to undertake and 
go on with it, to the lasting advantage and enriching of the 
family. 

About the year 1734 there arrived among us from Ireland a 
young Presbyterian preacher, named Hemphill, who delivered 
with a good voice, and apparently extempore, most excellent 
discourses, which drew together considerable numbers of dif- 
ferent persuasions, who joined in admiring them. Among 
the rest, I became one of his constant hearers, his sermons 
pleasing me, as they had little of the dogmatical kind, but in- 
culcated strongly the practice of virtue, or what in the religious 
style are called good works. Those, however, of our congre- 
gation who considered themselves as orthodox Presbyterians 
disapproved his doctrine, and were joined by most of the old 
clergy, who arraigned him of heterodoxy before the synod, in 
order to have him silenced. I became his zealous partisan, 
and contributed all I could to raise a party in his favor, and 
we combated for him awhile with some hopes of success. 
There was much scribbling pro and con upon the occasion ; 
and finding that, though an elegant preacher, he was but a 
poor writer, I lent him my pen and wrote for him two or 
three pamphlets, and one piece in the Gazette of April, 1735. 
Those pamphlets, as is generally the case with controversial 
writings, though eagerly read at the time, were soon out of 
vogue, and I question whether a single copy of them now 
exists. 



98 . BENJAMIN^ FRANKLIN. 

During the contest an unlucky occurrence hurt his cause 
exceedingly. One of our adversaries having heard him preach 
a sermon that was much admired, thought he had somewhere 
read the sermon before, or at least a part of it. On search, he 
found that part quoted at length, in one of the British Ke- 
views, from a discourse of Dr. Foster's. This detection gave 
many of our party disgust, who accordingly abandoned his 
cause, and occasioned our more speedy discomfiture in the 
synod. I stuck by him, however, as I rather approved his 
giving us good sermons composed by others, than bad ones of 
his own manufacture, though the latter was the practice of 
common teachers. He afterward acknowledged to me that 
none of those he preached were his own ; adding, that his 
memory was such as enabled him to retain and repeat any 
sermon after one reading only. On our defeat, he left us in 
search elsewhere of better fortune, and I quitted the congrega- 
tion, never joining it after, though I continued many years my 
subscription for the support of its ministers. 

I had begun in 1733 to study languages ; I soon made my- 
self so much a master of the French as to be able to read the 
books with ease. I then undertook the Italian. An acquaint- 
ance, who was also learning it, used often to toujpt me to 
play chess with him. Finding this took up too much of the 
time I had to spare for study, I at length refused to play any 
more, unless on this condition, that the victor in every game 
should have a right to impose a task, either in parts of the 
grammar to be got by heart, or in translations, etc., which 
tasks the vanquished was to perform on honor, before our 
next meeting. As we played pretty equally, we thus beat one 
another into that language. I afterwards with a little pains- 
taking acquired as much of the Spanish as to read their books 
also. 

I have already mentioned that I had only one year's instruc- 
tion in a Latin school, and that when very young, after which 
I neglected that language entirely. But, when I had attained 
an acquaintance with the French, Italian, and Spanish, I was 
surprised to find, on looking over a Latin Testament, that I 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 90 

understood so much more of that language than I had imag- 
ined, which encouraged me to apply myself again to the study 
of it, and I met with more success, as those preceding lan- 
guages had greatly smoothed my way. 

From these circumstances, I have thought that there is some 
inconsistency in our common mode of teacliing languages. 
We are told that it is proper to begin first with the Latin, and, 
having acquired that, it will be more easy to attain those mod- 
ern languages which are derived from it; and yet we do not 
begin with the Greek, in order more easily to acquire the 
Latin. It is true that, if you can clamber and get to the top 
of a staircase without using the steps, you will more easily 
gain them in descending ; but, certainly, if you begin with 
the lowest you will with more ease ascend to the top ; and I 
would therefore offer it to the consideration of those who sup- 
erintend the education of our youth, whethef, since many of 
those who begin with the Latin quit the same after spending 
some years without having made any great proficiency, and 
what they have learned becomes almost useless, so that their 
time has been lost, it would not have been better to have 
begun with the French, proceeding to the Italian, etc.; for, 
though, after spending the same time, they should quit the 
study of languages and never arrive at the Latin, they would, 
however, have acquired another tongue or two, that, being 
in modern use, might be serviceable to them in common life. 

After ten years' absence from Boston, and having become 
easy m my circumstances, I made a journey tiiither to visit 
my relations, which I could not sooner well afford. In re- 
turning, I called at Newport to see my brother, then settled 
there with his printing-house. Our former differences were 
forgotten, and our meeting was very cordial and affectionate. 
He was fast declining in his health, and requested of me that, 
in case of his death, which he apprehended not far distant, I 
would take home his son, then but ten years of age, and bring 
him up to the printing business. This I accordingly per- 
formed, sending him a few years to school before I took him 
into the office. His mother carried on the business till he was 



100 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

grown up, when I assisted him with an assortment of new 
types, those of iiis father being in a manner worn out. Thus 
it was that I made my brother ample amends for the service I 
had deprived him of by leaving him so early. 

In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, 
by the small-pox, taken in the common way. I long regretted 
bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by in- 
oculation.' This I mention for the sake of parents who omit 
that operation, on the supposition that they should never for- 
give themselves if a child died under it ; my example show- 
ing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, 
therefore, the safer should be chosen. 

Our club, the Junto, was found so useful, and afforded 
such satisfaction to the members, that several were desirous 
of introducing their friends, which could not well be done 
without exceeding what we had settled as a convenient num- 
ber, viz., twelve. We had from the beginning made it a rule 
to keep our institution a secret, which was pretty well ob- 
served ; the intention was to avoid applications of improper 
persons for admittance, some of whom, perhaps, we might 
find it diflBcult to refuse. I was one of those who were against 
any addition to our number, but, instead of it, made in writ- 
ing a proposal, that every member separately should endeavor 
to form a subordinate club, with the same rules respecting 
queries, etc., and without informing them of the connection 
with the Junto. The advantages proposed were, the improve- 
ment of so many more young citizens by the use of our insti- 
tutions ; our better acquaintance with the general sentiments 
of the inhabitants on any occasion, as the Junto member 
might propose what queries we should desire, and was to 
report to the Junto what passed in his separate club ; the pro- 
motion of our particular interests in business by more exten- 
sive recommendation, and the increase of our influence in 

1. Jenner's method of vaccination was not known until 1798. Persons 
were often inoculated with the disease when in good health, so as to escajte 
it in more violent form during epidemics. Such, however, was the prejudice 
against this practice that it was believed by many to be attended by divine 
punishment. 



BENJAMIN' FKANKLIN. lUl 

public affairs, and oui" power of doing good by spreading 
through the several clubs the sentiments of the Junto. 

The project was approved, and every member undertook to 
form his club, but they did not all succeed. Five or six only 
were completed, which were called by different names, as the 
Vine, the Union, the Band, etc. They were useful to them- 
selves, and afforded us a good deal of amusement, informa- 
tion, and instruction, besides answering, in some considerable 
degree, our views of influencing the public opinion on partic- 
ular occasions, of which I shall give some instances in course 
of time as they happened. 

My first promotion was my being chosen, in 1736, clerk of 
the General Assembly. The choice was made that year with- 
out opposition ; but the year following, when I was again pro- 
posed (the choice, like that of the members, being annual), a 
new member made a long speech against me, in order to favor 
some other candidate. I was, however, chosen, which was 
the more agreeable to me, as, besides the pay for the imme- 
diate service as clerk, the place gave me a better opportunity 
of keeping up an niterest among the members, which secured 
to me the business of printing the votes, laws, paper money, 
and other occasional jobs for the public, that, on the whole, 
were very profitable. 

I therefore did not like the opposition of this new member, 
who was a gentleman of fortune and education, with talents 
that were likely to give him, in time, great influence in the 
House, which, indeed, afterwards happened. I did not, how- 
ever, aim at gaining his favor by paying any servile respect 
to him, but, after some time, took this other method. Having 
heard that he had in his library a certain very scarce and 
curious book, I wrote a note to him, expressing my desire of 
perusing that book, and requesting he would do me the favor 
of lending it to me for a few days. He sent it immediately, 
and I returned it in about a week with another note, express- 
ing strongly my sense of the favor. When we next met in the 
House, he spoke to me (which he had never done before), and 
with great civility ; and he ever after manifested a readiness 



102 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

to serve me on all occasions, so that we became great friends, 
and our friendship continued to his death. This is another 
instance of the truth of an old maxim I had learned, which 
says \ '"'■ He that has once done you a kindness will he more 
ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have 
ohligedP And it shows how much more profitable it is pru- 
dently to remove, than to resent, return, and continue inimi- 
cal proceedings. 

In 1737, Colonel Spots wood, late governor of Virginia, and 
then postmaster-general, being dissatisfied with the conduct 
of his deputy at Pliiladelphia, respecting some negligence in 
rendering, and inexactitude of his accounts, took from him 
the commission and offered it to me. I accepted it readily, 
and found it of great advantage ; for, though the salary was 
small, it facilitated the correspondence that improved my 
newspaper, increased the number demanded, as well as the 
advertisements to be inserted, so that it came to afford me a 
considerable income. My old competitor's newspaper declined 
proportionably, and I was satisfied without retaliating his re- 
fusal, while postmaster, to permit my papers being carried by 
the riders. Thus he suffered greatly from his neglect in due 
accounting ; and I mention it as a lesson to those young men 
who may be employed in managing affairs for others, that 
they should always render accounts, and make remittances, 
with great clearness and punctuality. The character of ob- 
serving such a conduct is the most powerful of all recommen- 
dations to new employments and increase of business. 

I began now to turn my thoughts a little to jDublic affairs, 
beginning, however, with small matters. The city watch was 
one of the first things that I conceived to want regulation. ^It 
was managed by the constables of the respective wards in 
turn ; the constable warned a number of housekeepers to 
attend him for the night. Those who chose never to attend, 
paid him six shillings a year to be excused, which was supposed 
to be for hiring substitutes, but was, in reality, much more 
than was necessary for that purpose, and made the constable- 
ship a place of profit ; and the constable, for a little drink, 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 103 

often got such ragamuffins about him as a watch, that re- 
spectable housekeepers did not choose to mix with. Walking 
the rounds, too, was often neglected, and most of the nights 
spent in tippling. I thereupon w'rote a paper to be read in 
Junto, representing these irregularities, but insisting more 
particularly on the inequality of this six-shilling tax of the 
constables, respecting the circumstances of those who paid it, 
since a poor widow housekeeper, all whose property to be 
guarded by the watch did not perhaps exceed the value of 
fifty pounds, paid as much as the wealthiest merchant, who 
had thousands of pounds' w^orth of goods in his stores. 

On the whole, I proposed as a more effectual watch, the 
hiring of proper men to serve constantly in that business ; 
and as a more equitable way of supporting the charge, the 
levying a tax that should be proportioned to the property. 
This idea, being approved by the Junto, was communicated to 
the other clubs, but as arising in each of them ; and though 
the plan was not immediately carried into execution, yet, by 
preparing the minds of people for the change, it paved the 
way for the law obtained a few years after, when the members 
of our clubs were grown into more influence. 

About this time I wrote a paper (first to be read in Junto, 
but it was afterward published) on the different accidents and 
carelessnesses by which houses were set on fire, with cautions 
against them, and means proposed of avoiding them. This 
was much spoken of as a useful piece, and gave rise to a 
project, which soon followed it, of forming a company for the 
more ready extinguishing of fires, and mutual assistance in 
removing and securing of goods when in danger. Associates 
in this scheme were presently found, amounting to thirty. 
Our articles of agreement obliged every member to keep 
always in good order, and fit for use, a certain number of 
leather buckets, with strong bags and baskets) for packing 
and transporting of goods), which were to be brought to every 
fire ; and w^e agreed to meet once a month and spend a social 
evening together, in discoursing and communicating such 



104 BENJAMii^ frankli:n-. 

ideas as occurred to us upon the subject of fires, as might be 
useful in our conduct on such occasions. 

The utility of this institution soon appeared, and many more 
desiring to be admitted than we thought convenient for one 
company, they were advised to form another, which was ac- 
cordingly done ; and this went on, one new company being 
formed after another, till they became so numerous as to in- 
clude most of the inhabitants who were men of property ; and 
now, at the time of my writing this, though upward of fifty 
years since its establishment, that which I first formed, called 
the Union Fire Company, still subsists and flourishes, though 
the first members are all deceased but myself and one, who is 
older by a year than I am. The small fines that have been 
paid by members for absence at the monthly meetings have 
been applied to the purchase of fire-engines, ladders, fire- 
hooks, and other useful implements for each company, so that 
I question whether there is a city in the world better provided 
with the means of putting a stop to beginning conflagrations ; 
and, in fact, since these institutions, the city has never lost by 
fire more than one or two houses at a time, and the flames 
have often been extinguished before the house in which they 
began has been half consumed. 

In 1739 arrived among us from Ireland the Reverend Mr. 
"Whitefield, who had made himself remarkable there as an itin- 
erant preacher. He was at first permitted to preach in some of 
our churches ; but the clergy, taking a dislike to him, soon re- 
fused him their pulpits, and he was obliged to preach in the 
fields. The multitudes of all sects and denominations that 
attended his sermons were enormous, and it was matter of 
speculation to me, who was one of the number, to observe the 
extraordinary influence of his oratory on his hearers, and how 
much they admired and respected him, notwithstanding his 
common abuse of them, by assuring them they were naturally 
lialf beasts and half devils. It was wonderful to gee the 
change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From 
being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as 
if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not 



BENJAMIN FKANKLIN. 105 

walk through the town in an evening without hearing psahns 
sung in different families of every street. 

And it being found inconvenient to assemble in the open 
air, subject to its inclemencies, the building of a house to 
meet in was no sooner proposed, and persons appointed to 
receive contributions, but sufficient sums were soon received 
to procure thfe ground and erect the building, which was one 
hundred feet long and seventy broad, about the size of West- 
minster Hall ;' and the work was carried on with such spirit 
as to be finished in a much shorter time than could have been 
expected. Both house and ground w^ere vested in trustees, 
expressly for the use of any preacher of any religious persua- 
sion w^ho might desire to say something to the people of Phila- 
delphia ; the design in building not being to accommodate 
any particular sect, but the inhabitants in general ; so that 
even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary 
to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at 
his service. 

Mr. Whitefield, in leaving us, went preaching all the way 
through the colonies to Georgia. The settlement of that 
province had lately been begun, but, instead of being made 
with hardy, industrious husbandmen, accustomed to labor, 
the only people fit for such an enterprise, it was with families 
of broken shop-keepers and other insolvent debtors, many of 
indolent and idle habits, taken out of the jails, who, being set 
down in the woods, unqualified for clearing land, and unable 
to endure the hardships of a new settlement, perished in num- 
bers, leaving many helpless children unprovided for. The 
sight of their miserable situation inspired the benevolent 
heart of Mr. Whitetield with the idea of building an Orphan 
House there, in which they might be supported and educated. 
Returning northward, he preached up this charity, and made 
large collections, for his eloquence had a wonderful power 
over the hearts and purses of his hearers, of which I myself 
was an instance. 
— • . 

1. A celebrated hall in London, adjoining the Parliament buildings. 



106 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

I did not disapprove of the design, but, as Georgia was then 
destitute of materials and workmen, and it was proposed to 
send them from Philadelphia at a great expense, I thought it 
would have been better to have built the house here, and 
brought the children to it. This I advised ; but he was reso- 
lute in his first project, rejected my counsel, and I therefore 
refused to contribute. I happened soon after to attend one of 
his sermons, in the course of which I perceived he intended to 
finish with a collection, and I silently resolved he should get 
nothing from me. I had in my pocket a handful of copper 
money, three or four silver dollars, and five pistoles in gold. 
As he proseeded I began to soften, and concluded to give the 
coppers. Another stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of 
that, and determined me to give the silver ; and he finished so 
admirably, that I emptied my pockets wholly into the collector's 
dish, gold and all. At this sermon there w\as also one of our 
club, who, being of my sentiments respecting the building in 
Georgia, and suspecting a collection might be intended, had, 
by precaution, emptied his pockets before he came from home. 
Towards the conclusion of the discourse, however, he felt a 
strong desire to give, and applied to a neighbor, who stood 
near him, to borrow some money for the purpose. The appli- 
cation was unfortunately [made] to perliaps the only man in 
the company who had the firmness not to be affected by the 
preacher. His answer was: ''At any other time, Friend 
HopJiinson, I icould lend to thee freely ; hut not now, for thee 
seems to he otit of thy right senses.'''' 

Some of Mr. "Whitefield's enemies affected to suppose that 
he would apply these collections to his own private emolu- 
ment ; but I, who was intimately acquainted with him (being 
employed in printing his Sermons and Journals, etc.), never 
had the least suspicion of his integrity, but am to this day 
decidedly of opinion that he was in all his conduct a perfectly 
honest man; and methinks my testimony in his favor ought 
to have the more weight, as we had no religious connection. 
He used, indeed, sometimes to pray for my conversion, but he 
never had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 107 

heard. Ours was a mere civil friendship, sincere on both 
sides, and lasted to his death. 

The following instance will show something of the terms 
on which we stood. Upon one of his arrivals from England 
at Boston, he wrote to me that he should come soon to Phila- 
delphia, but knew not where he could lodge when there, as he 
understood his old friend and host, Mr. Benezet, was removed 
to Germantown. My answer was: "You know my house; 
if you can make shift with its scanty accommodations, you 
will be most heartily welcome." He replied, that if I made 
that kind offer for Christ's sake, I should not miss of a re- 
ward. And I returned : '•'■ DonHlet me he mistaken; it was 
not for ClirisVs sake^ but for your sake.'''' One of our 
common acquaintance jocosely remarked, that, knowing it to 
be the custom of the saints, when they received any favor, to 
shift the burden of the obligation from off their own shoul- 
ders, and place it in heaven, T had contrived to fix it on earth. 

The last time I saw Mr. Whitefield was in London, when he 
consulted me about his Orphan House concern, and his pur- 
pose of appropriating it to the establishment of a college. 

He had a loud and clear voice, and articulated his words 
and sentences so perfectly, that he might be heard and under- 
stood at a great distance, especially as his auditories, however 
numerous, observed the most exact silence. He preached one 
evening from the top of the Court-house steps, which are in 
the middle of Market Street, and on the west side of Second 
Street, which crosses it at right angles. Both streets were 
filled with his hearers to a considerable distance. Being 
among the hindmost in Market Street, I had the curiosity to 
learn how far he could be heard, by retiring backwards down 
the street towards the river ; and I found his voice distinct 
till I came near Front Street, when some noise in that street 
obscured it. Imagining then a semicircle, of which my dis- 
tance should be the radius, and that it were filled with audi- 
tors, to each of whom I allowed two square feet, I computed 
that he might well be heard by more than thirty thousand. 
This reconciled me to the newspaper accounts of his having 



108 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

preached to twenty-five thousand people in the fields, and to 
the ancient histories of generals haranguing whole armies, of 
which 1 had sometimes doubted. 

By hearing him often, I came to distinguish easily between 
sermons newly composed, and those which he had often 
preached in the course of his travels. His delivery of the 
latter was so improved by frequent repetitions that every 
accent, every emphasis, every modulation of voice, was so 
perfectly well turned and well placed, that, without being in- 
terested in the subject, one could not help being pleased with 
the discourse ; a pleasure of much the same kind with that 
received from an excellent piece of music. This is an advan- 
tage itinerant preachers have over those who are stationary, 
as the latter cannot well improve their delivery of a sermon 
by so many rehearsals. 

His writing and printing from time to time gave great ad- 
vantage to his enemies ; unguarded expressions, and even 
erroneous opinions, delivered in preaching, might have been 
afterwards explained or qualified by supposing others that might 
have accompanied them, or they might have been denied ; but 
*litera scripta manet.^ Critics attacked his writings violently, 
and with so much appearance of reason as to diminish the 
number of his votaries and prevent their increase ; so that I 
am of opinion if he had never written anything, he would 
have left behind him a much more numerous and important 
sect, and his reputation might in that case have been still 
growing, even after his death, as there being nothing of his 
writing on which to found a censure and give him a lower 
character, his proselytes would be left at liberty to feign for 
him as great a variety of excellences as their enthusiastic ad- 
miration might wish him to have possessed.^ 

My business was now continually augmenting, and my cir- 
cumstances growing daily easier, my newspaper having be- 
come very profitable, as being for a time almost the only one 



1. That which is written remains. 

2. For a good account of Whitefield's character and labors, see Leeky's 
History of Enr'and in the Eighteenth Century,''' vol. ii. ch. 9, 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 109 

in this and tlie neighboring provinces. I experienced, too, the 
truth of the observation, " that after getting the first hun- 
dred pound, it is more easy to get the second,''' money itself 
being of a prolific nature. 

The partnership at Carolina having succeeded, I was en- 
couraged to engage in others, and to promote several of my 
workmen, who had behaved well, by establishing them with 
printing-houses in different colonies, on the same terms as 
that in Carolina. Most of them did well, being enabled at 
the end of our term, six years, to purchase the types of me 
and go on working for themselves, by which means several 
families were raised. Partnerships often finish in quarrels ; 
but I was happy in this, that mine were all carried on and 
ended amicably, owing, I think, a good deal to the precaution 
of having very explicitly settled, in our articles, everything 
to be done by or expected from each partner, so that there 
was nothing to dispute, which precaution I would therefore 
recommend to all who enter into partnership ; for, whatever 
esteem partners may have for, and confidence in each other 
at the time of the contract, little jealousies and disgusts may 
arise, with ideas of inequality in the care and burden of the 
business, etc., which are attended often with breach of friend- 
ship and of the connection, perhaps with lawsuits and other 
disagreeable consequences. 

I had, on the whole, abundant reason to be satisfied with 
my being established in Pennsylvania. There were, however, 
two things which I regretted, there being no provision for 
defense, nor for a complete education of youth ; no militia, 
nor any college. I therefore, in 1743, drew up a proposal for 
establishing an academy ; and at that time, thinking the 
Reverend Mr. Peters, who was out of employ, a fit person to 
superintend such an institution, I communicated the project 
to him ; but he, having more profitable views in the service of 
the proprietaries, which succeeded, declined the undertaking ; 
and, not knowing another at that time suitable for such a 
trust, I let the scheme lie a while dormant. I succeeded bet- 
ter the next year, 1744, in proposing and establishing a Philo- 



110 BENJAMIK FRANKLIN. 

sophical Society. The paper I wrote for that purpose will be 
found among my writings, when collected/ 

With respect to defense, Spain having been several years at 
war against Great Britain, and being at length joined by 
France, which brought us into great danger ; and the labored 
and long-continued endeavor of our governor, Thomas, to 
prevail with our Quaker Assembly to pass a militia law, and 
make other provisions for the security of the province, having 
proved abortive, I determined to try what might be done by 
a voluntary association of the people. To promote this, I 
first wrote and published a pamphlet, entitled Plain Truth, 
in which I stated our defenseless situation in strong lights, 
with the necessity of union and discipline for our defense, 
and promised to propose in a few days an association, to be 
generally signed for that purpose. The pamphlet had a sud- 
den and surprising effect.^ I was called upon for the instru- 
ment of association, and having settled the draft of it with a 
few friends, I appointed a meeting of the citizens in the large 
building before mentioned. The house was pretty full; I had 
prepared a number of printed copies, and provided pens and 
ink dispersed all over the room. I harangued them a little 
on the subject, read the paper, and explained it, and then dis- 
tributed the copies, which were eagerly signed, not the least 
objection being made. 

When the company separated, and the papers were col- 
lected, we found above twelve hundred hands; and, other 
copies being dispersed in the country, the subscribers 
amounted at length to upward of ten thousand. These all 



1. This paper was entitled '' A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge 
among the British Plantations in America." The society still exists, as the 
American Philosophical Society. 

2. The pamphlet was announced in Franklin's newspaper. Nov. 1-2, 1747, 
as follows: "Next Saturday will be published 'Plain Truth: or, Serious 
Considerations on the Present State of the City of Philadelphia and Province 
of Pennsylvania, by a tradesman of Philadelphia.' " On the title-page was 
a rude cut representing the wagoner beseeching Hercules for aid. The 
emergency was an important one; already French and Spanisli privateers 
had appeared in the Delaware, and two houses had been plundered. Franlc- 
lin's paniphl"t was answered by one called "' Necessary- Truth," and a bitter 
controversy followed, which in the course of the year brought forth several 
pamphlets and sermons on the lawfulness of defending what is one's own. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIK. Ill 

furnished themselves as soon as they could with arms, formed 
themselves into companies and regiments, chose their own 
officers, and met every week to be instructed in the manual 
exercise, and other parts of military discipline. The women, 
by subscriptions among themselves, provided silk colors, 
which they presented to the companies, painted with different 
devices and mottoes, which I supplied. 

The officers of the companies composing the Philadelphia 
regiment, being met, chose me for their colonel; but, conceiv- 
ing myself unfit, I declined that station, and recommended 
Mr. Lawrence, a fine person, and man of influence, who was 
accordingly ap'pointed. I then proposed a lottery to defray 
the expense of building a battery below the town, and fur- 
nishing it with cannon.* It filled expeditiously, and the 
battery was soon erected, the merlons being framed of logs 
and filled with earth. We bought some old cannon from 
Boston, but, these not being sufficient, we wTote to England 
for more, soliciting, at the same time, our proprietaries for 
some assistance, though without much expectation of obtain- 
ing it. 

Meanwhile, Colonel Lawrence, William Allen, Abram Tay- 
lor, Esq., and myself were sent to New York by the associ- 
ators, commissioned to borrow some cannon of Governor 
Clinton. He at first refused us peremptorily; but at dinner 
with his council, where there was great drinking of Madeira 
wine, as the custom of that place then was, he softened by 
degrees, and said he would lend us six. After a few more 
bumpers he advanced to ten; and at length he very good- 
naturedly conceded eighteen. They were fine cannon, eighteen- 
pounders, with their carriages, which we soon transported 
and mounted on our battery, where the associators kept a 



1. Lotteries were resorted to for carrying on public and philanthropic 
enterprises almost as conimonlj' as the churcli-fairs of to-day. '" Whenever 
a clumsy bridge was to be thrown across a little stream, a public building 
enlarpe;), a school-house built, a street paved, a road repaired, a manufac- 
turing company to be aided, a church assisted, or a college treasury Vf- 
pienished, u loiiery bill was passed by the Legislature, a wheel procured, a 
notice ))Ut in the papers, and often in a few weeks the needed monev was 
raised."— See McMaster's History of the People of the U. S., vol. i. p. 588. 



112 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 

nightly guard while the war lasted, and among the rest I 
regularly took my turn of duty there as a common soldier/ 

My activity in these operations was agreeable to the gov- 
ernor and council; they took me into confidence, and I was 
consulted by them in every measure wherein their concurrence 
was thought useful to the association. Calling in the aid of 
religion, I proposed to them the proclaiming a fast, to pro- 
mote reformation, and implore the blessing of Heaven on 'our 
undertaking. They embraced the motion; but, as it was the 
first fast ever thought of in the province, the secretary had no 
precedent from which to draw the proclamation. My educa- 
tion in New England, where a fast is proclaimed every year, 
was here of some advantage: I drew it in the accustomed 
style, it was translated into German, printed in both lan- 
guages, and divulged through the province. This gave the 
clergy of the different sects an opportunity of influencing 
their congregations to join in the association, and it would 
probably have been general among all bat Quakers if the 
peace had not soon intervened. 

It was thought by some of my friends that, by my activity 
in these affairs, I should offend that sect, and thereby lose 
my interest in the Assembly of the province, where they 
formed a great majority. A young gentleman who had like- 
wise some friends in the House, and wished to succeed me as 
their clerk, acquainted me that it was decided to displace me 
at the next election; and he, therefore, in good will, advised 
me to resign, as more consistent with my honor than being 
turned out. My answer to him was, that I had read or heard 
of some public man who made it a rule never to ask for an 
office, and never to refuse one when offered to him. "I 
approve," says I, "of his rule, and will practice it with a 
small addition: I shall never a.s-A', never refuse^ nor ever 
resign an office. If they will have my office of clerk to dispose 
of to another, they shall take it from me. I will not, by 
giving it up, lose my right of some time or other making 

1. Peace was broufjht about in Europe by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 
1748, thus eudiug the trouble in the colonies. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 113 

reprisals on my adversaries." I heard, however, no more of 
this; I was chosen again unanimously as usual at the next 
election. Possibly, as they disliked my late intimacy with the 
members of council, who had joined the governors in all the 
disputes about military preparations, with wliich the House 
had long been harassed, they might have been pleased if I 
would voluntarily have left them; but they did not care to 
displace me on account merely of my zeal for the association, 
and they could not well give another reason. 

Indeed I had some cause to believe that the defense of the 
country was not disagreeable to any of them, provided they 
were not required to assist in it. And I found that a much 
greater number of them than I could have imagined, though 
against offensive war, were clearly for the defensive. Many 
pamphlets pro and con were published on the subject, and 
some by good Quakers, in favor of defense, which I believe 
convinced most of their younger people. 

A transaction in our fire company, gave me some insight 
into their prevailing sentiments. It had been proposed that 
we should encourage the scheme for building a battery by 
laying out the present stock, then about sixty pounds, in 
tickets of the lottery. By our rules, no money could be dis- 
posed of till the next meeting after the proposal. The com- 
pany consisted of thirty niembers, of which twenty-two were 
Quakers, and eight only of other persuasions. We eight 
punctually attended the meeting ; but, though we thought that 
some of the Quakers would join us, we were by no means sure 
of a majority. Only one Quaker, Mr. James Morris, appeared 
to oppose the measure. He expressed much sorrow that it 
had ever been proposed, as he said Friends were all against 
it, and it would create such discord as might break up the 
company. We told him that we saw no reason for that ; we 
were the minority, and if Friends were against the measure, 
and outvoted us, we must and should, agreeably to the usage 
of all societies, submit. When the hour for business arrived it 
was moved to put the vote ; he allowed we might then do it 
by the rules, but, as he could assure us that a number of 



114 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

members intended to be present for the purpose of opposing 
it, it would be but candid to allow a little time for their ap- 
pearing. 

While we were disputing this, a waiter came to tell me two 
gentlemen below desired to speak with me. I went down, 
and found they were two of our Quaker members. They told 
me there were eight of them assembled at a tavern just by ; 
that they were determined to come and vote with us if there 
should be occasion, which they hoped would not be the case, 
and desired we would not call for their assistance if we could 
do without it, as their voting for such a measure might em- 
broil them with their elders and friends. Being thus secure 
of a majority, I went up, and after a little seeming hesitation, 
agreed to a delay of another hour. This Mr. Morris allowed 
to be extremely fair. Not one of his opposing friends ap- 
peared, at which he expressed great surprise ; and, at the 
expiration of the hour, we carried the resolution eight to 
one ; and as, of the twenty-two Quakers, eight were ready 
to vote with us, and thirteen, by their absence, manifested 
that they were not inclined to oppose the measure, I after- 
ward estimated the proportion of Quakers sincerely against 
defense as one to twenty-one only ; for these were all regular 
members of that society, and in good reputation among them, 
and had due notice of what was proposed at that meeting. 

The honorable and learned Mr. Logan, who had always 
been of that sect, was one who wrote an address to them, 
declaring his approbation of defensive war, and supporting 
his opinion by many strong arguments. He put into my 
hands sixty pounds to be laid out in lottery tickets for the 
battery, with directions to apply what prizes might be drawn 
wholly to that service. He told me the following anecdote of 
his old master, William Penn, respecting defense. He came 
over from England, when a young man, with that proprietary, 
and as his secretary. It was war-time, and their ship was 
chased by an armed vessel, supposed to be an enemy. Their 
captain prepared for defense ; but told William Penn, and his 
company of Quakers, that he did not expect tlieir assistance, 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 115 

and they might retire into the cabin, which they did, except 
James Logan, who chose to stay upon deck, and was quartered 
to a gun. The supposed enemy proved a friend, so there 
was no lighting ; but when the secretary went down to com- 
municate the intelligence, William Penn rebuked him severely 
for staying upon deck, and undertaking to assist in defending 
the vessel, contrary to the principles of Friends, especially 
as it had not been required by the captain. This reproof, 
being before all the company, piqued the secretary, who 
answered : " / being thy servant, why did thee not order me 
to come down ? But thee was willing enough that 1 shoidd 
stay and help to fight the ship when thee thought there was 
danger.'''' 

My being many years in the Assembly, the majority of 
which were constantly Quakers, gave me frequent opportuni- 
ties of seeing the embarrassment given them by their prin- 
ciple against war, whenever application was made to them, 
by order of the crown, to grant aids for military purposes. 
They were unwilling to offend government, on the one hand, 
by a direct refusal ; and their friends, the body of the 
Quakers, on the other, by a compliance contrary to their 
principles ; hence a variety of evasions to avoid complying, 
and modes of disguising the compliance when it became un- 
avoidable. The common mode at last was, to grant money 
under the phrase of its being '■'■for the king''s use,'''' and never 
to inquire how it was applied. 

But, if the demand was not directly from the crown, that 
phrase was found not so proper, and some other was to be 
invented. As, when powder was wanting (I think it was for 
the garrison at Louisburg), and the government of New Eng- 
land solicited a grant of some from Pennsylvania, which was 
much urged on the House by Governor Thomas, they could 
not grant money to buy powder, because that was an in- 
gredient of war ; but they voted an aid to New England of 
three thousand pounds, to be put into the hands of the 
governor, and appropriated it for the purchasing of bread, 
flour, wheat, or other grain. Some of the council, desirous 



116 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

of giving the House still further embarrassment, advised the 
governor not to accept provision, as not being the thing he had 
demanded ; but he replied : " I shall take the money, for I 
understand very well their meaning ; other grain is gun- 
powder," which he accordingly bought, and they never ob- 
jected to it. 

It was in allusion to this fact that, when in our fire com- 
pany we feared the success of our proposal in favor of the 
lottery, and I had said to my friend Mr. Syng, one of our 
members: "If we fail, let us move the purchase of a fire- 
engine with the money ; the Quakers can have no objection to 
that ; and then, if you nominate me and I you as a committee 
for that purpose, we will buy a great gun, which is certainly 
2i fire-enginey "I see," says he, "you have improved by 
being so long in the Assembly ; your equivocal project would 
be just a match for their wheat or other grain.'''' 

These embarrassments that the Quakers suffered from hav- 
ing established and published it as one of their principles that 
no kind of war was lawful, and which, being once published, 
they could not afterwards, however they might change their 
minds, easily get rid of, reminds me of what I think a more 
prudent conduct in another sect among us, that of the Bun- 
kers. I was acquainted with one of its founders, Michael 
Welfare, soon after it appeared. He complained to me that 
they were griveously calumniated by the zealots of other 
persuasions, and charged with abominable principles and 
practices, to which they were utter strangers. I told him 
this had always been the case with new sects, and that, to 
put a stop to such abuse, I imagined it might be well to pub- 
lish the articles of their belief, and the rules of their disci- 
pline. He said that it had been proposed among them, but 
not agreed to, for this reason : " When we were first drawn 
together as a society," says he, "it had pleased God to en- 
lighten our minds so far as to see that some doctrines, w^hich 
we once esteemed truths, were errors ; and that others, which 
we had esteemed errors, were real truths. From time to time 
He has been pleased to afford us farther light, and our prin- 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 117 

ciples have been improving, and our errors diminishing. Now 
we are not sure that we are arrived at the end of this pro- 
gression, and at the perfection of spiritual or theological 
knowledge ; and we fear that, if we should once print our 
confession of faith, we should feel ourselves as if bound and 
confined by it, and perhaps be unwilling to receive farther 
improvement, and our successors still more so, as conceiving 
what we their elders and founders had done, to be something 
sacred, never to be departed from." 

This modesty in a sect is perhaps a singular instance in the 
history of mankind, every other sect supposing itself in pos- 
session of all truth, and that those who differ are so far in the 
wrong ; like a man traveling in foggy weather, those at some 
distance before him on the road he sees wrapped up in the 
fog, as well as those behind him, and also the people in the 
fields on each side, but near him all appears clear, though in 
truth he is as much in the fog as any of them. To avoid this 
kind of embarrassment, the Quakers have of late years been 
gradually declining the public service in the Assembly and in 
the magistracy, choosing rather to quit their power than their 
principle. 

In order of time, I should have mentioned before, that 
having, in 1742, invented an open stove^ for the better warm- 
ing of rooms, and at the same time saving fuel, as the fresh 
air admitted was warmed in entering, I made a present of the 
model to Mr. Robert Grace, one of my early friends, who, 
having an iron furnace, found the casting of the plates for 
these stoves a profitable thing, as they were growing in de- 
mand. To promote that demand, I wrote and published a 
pamphlet, entitled ^^ An Account of the new-invented Penn- 
sylvania Fi7-ej)laces ; wherein their Construction and Manner 
of Operation is particularly explained; their Advantages 
above every other Method of warmiiig Rooms demonstrated ; 
and all Objections that have been raised against the Use of 



1. Universally known as the " Franklin Stove," and still in very general 
use. Mr. Parton describes it as the beginning: of " the American stove sys- 
tem, one of the wonders of the industrial world," 



118 BElfJAMIN FRAKKLIN. 

them answered and ohciated,''' etc. This pamphlet had a 
good effect. Governor Thomas was so pleased with the con- 
struction of this stove, as described in it, that he offered to 
give me a patent for the sole vending of them for a term of 
years ; but I declined it from a principle which has ever 
weighed with me on such occasions, viz., That^ as we enjoy 
great advantages from the inventions of others, we should he 
glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of 
ours ; and this ive shoidd do freely and generously. 

An ironmonger in London, however, assuming a good deal 
of my pamphlet, and working it up into his own, and making 
some small changes in the machine, which rather hurt its 
operation, got a patent for it there, and made, as I was told, 
a little fortune by it. And this is not the only instance of 
patents taken out for my inventions by others, though not 
always with the same success, which I never contested, as 
having no desire of profiting by patents myself, and hating 
disputes. The use of these fireplaces in very many houses, 
both of this and the neighboring colonies, has been, and is, a 
great saving of wood to the inhabitants. 

Peace being concluded, and the association business there- 
fore at an end, I turned my thoughts again to the affair of 
establishing an academy. The first step I took was to asso- 
ciate in the design a number of active friends, of whom the 
Junto furnished a good part ; the next was to write and pub- 
lish a pamphlet, entitled Proposals relating to the Educa- 
tion of Youth in Pennsylvania. This I distributed among 
the principal inhabitants gratis ; and as soon as I could sup- 
pose their minds a little prepared by the perusal of it, I set on 
foot a subscription for opening and supporting an academy : 
it was to be paid in quotas yearly for five years ; by so divid- 
ing it, I judged the subscription might be larger, and*I believe 
it was so, amounting to no less, if I remember right, than five 
thousand pounds. 

In the introduction to these proposals, I stated their publica- 
tion, not as an act of mine, but of ^ome jmblic-spirited geiHle- 
men, avoiding as much ?is I could, according to my usual 



BENJAMIN^ FRANKLIN. 119 

rule/ the presenting myself to the public as the author of any 
scheme for their benefit. 

The subscribers, to carry the project into immediate exe- 
cution, chose out of their number twenty-four trustees, and 
appointed Mr. Francis, then attorney-general, and myself to 
draw up constitutions for the government of the academy ; 
which being done and signed, a house was hired, masters 
engaged, and the schools opened, I think, in the same year, 
1749. 

The scholars increasing fast, the house was soon found too 
small, and we were looking out for a piece of ground, prop- 
erly situated, with intention to build, when Providence threw 
into our way a large house ready built, which, with a few 
alterations, might well serve our purpose. This was the build- 
ing before mentioned, erected by the hearers of Mr. White- 
field, and was obtained for us in the following manner. 

It is to be noted that the contributions to this building 
being made by people of different sects, care was taken in the 
nomination of trustees, in whom the building and ground 
was to be vested, that a predominancy should not be given to 
any sect, lest in time that predominancy might be a means of 
appropriating the whole to the use of such sect, contrary to 
the original intention. It was therefore that one of each sect 
was appointed, viz., one Church-of-England man, one Pres- 
byterian, one Baptist, one Moravian, etc.; those, in case of 
vacancy by death, were to fill it by election from among the 
contributors. The Moravian happened not to please his col- 
leagues, and on his death they resolved to have no other of 
that sect. The difficulty then was, how to avoid having two 
of some other sect, Ly means of the new choice. 

Several persons were named, and for that reason not agreed 
to. At length one mentioned me, with the observation that 
I was merely an honest man, and of no sect at all, which pre- 
vailed with them to choose me. The enthusiasm which existed 
when the house was built had long since abated, and its 

1. See p. 77 Franklin rarely signed hiis name to his writings, using some 
assumed name, as " A Tradesman," or none at all. 



120 BEKJAMm FRANKLIN". - 

trustees had not been able to procure fresh contributions for 
paying the ground-rent, and discharging some other debts the 
building had occasioned, which embarrassed them greatly. 
Being now a member of both sets of trustees, that for the 
building and that for the academy, I had a good opportunity 
of negotiating with both, and brought them finally to an 
agreement, by which the trustees for the building were to 
cede it to those of the academy, the latter undertaking to dis- 
charge the debt, to keep forever open in the building a large 
hall for occasional preachers, according to the original inten- 
tion, and maintain a free-school for the instruction of poor 
children. Writings were accordingly drawn, and on paying 
the debts the trustees of the academy were put in possession 
of the premises ; and by dividing the great and lofty hall into 
stories, and different rooms above and below for the several 
schools, and purchasing some additional ground, the whole 
was soon made fit for our purpose, and the scholars removed 
into the building. The care and trouble of agreeing with the 
w^orkmen, purchasing materials, and superintending the work, 
fell upon me ; and I went through it the more cheerfully, as 
it did not then interfere with my private business, having the 
year before taken a very able, industrious, and honest partner, 
Mr. David Hall, with whose character I was well acquainted, 
as he had worked for me four years. He took off my hands 
all care of the printing-office, paying me punctually my share 
of the profits. This partnership continued eighteen years, 
successfully for us both. 

The trustees of the academy, after a while, were incor- 
porated by a charter from the governor; their funds were 
increased by contributions in Britain and grants of land from 
the proprietaries,^ to which the Assembly has since made con- 
siderable addition ; and thus was established the present 
University of Philadelphia. I have been continued one of 
its trustees from the beginning, now near forty years, and 
have had the very great pleasure of seeing a number of the 

1. Proprietaries.— The sons of William Penn, Thomas and Richard Penn, 
who still held extensive possessions in Pennsylvania. 



BENJAMIN^ FRAl^KLm. 121 

youth who have received their education in it, distinguished 
by their improved abilities, serviceable in public stations, and 
ornaments to their country. 

When I disengaged myself, as above mentioned, from 
private business, I flattered myself that, by the sufficient 
though moderate fortune I had acquired, I had secured leisure 
during the rest of my life for philosophical studies and 
amusements. I purchased all Dr. Spence's apparatus, who 
had come from England to lecture here, and I proceeded in 
my electrical experiments with great alacrity ; but the public, 
now considering me as a man of leisure, laid hold of me for 
their purposes, every part of our civil government, and almost 
at the same time, imposing some duty upon me. The gov- 
ernor put me into the commission of the peace,' the corpora- 
tion of *the city chose me of the common council, and soon 
after an alderman ; and the citizens at large chose me a 
burgess to represent them in Assembly. This latter station 
was the more agreeable to me, as I was at length tired with 
sitting there to hear debates, in which, as clerk, I could take 
no part, and which were often so unentertaining that I was 
induced to amuse myself with making magic squares or circles, 
or anything to avoid weariness ; and I conceived my becoming 
a member would enlarge my power of doing good. I would 
not, however, insinuate that my ambition was not flattered 
by all these promotions ; it certainly was ; for, considering 
my low beginning, they were great things to me ; and they 
were still more pleasing, as being so many spontaneous testi- 
monies of the public good opinion, and by me entirely un- 
solicited. 

The office of justice of the peace I tried a little, by attend- 
ing a few courts, and sitting on the bench to hear causes ; but 
finding that more knowledge of the common law than I 
possessed was necessary to act in that station with credit, I 
gradually withdrew from it, excusing myself by my being 
obliged to attend the higher duties of a legislator in the 

1. Commission of the Peace.— Office of justice of the peace. 



122 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

Assembly. My election to this trust was repeated every year 
for ten years, without my ever asking any elector for his 
vote, or signifying, either directly or indirectly, any desire of 
being chosen. On taking my seat in the House, my son was 
appointed their clerk. 

The year following, a treaty being to be held with the 
Indians at Carlisle, the governor sent a message to the House, 
proposing that they should nominate some of their members, 
to be joined with some members of council, as commissioners 
for that purpose. The House named the speaker (Mr. Norris) 
and myself ; and, being commissioned, we went to Carlisle, 
and met the Indians accordingly. 

As those people are extremely apt to get drunk, and, when 
so, are very quarrelsome and disorderly, we strictly forbade 
the selling any liquor to them ; and when they complained of 
this restriction, we told them that if they would continue 
sober during the treaty, we would give them plenty of rum 
when business was over. They promised this, and they kept 
their promise, because they could get no liquor, and the 
treaty was conducted very orderly, and concluded to mutual 
satisfaction. They then claimed and received the rum ; this 
was in the afternoon ; they were near one hundred men, 
women, and children, and were lodged in temporary cabins, 
built in tlie form of a square, just without the town. In the 
evening, hearing a great noise among them, the commis- 
sioners walked out to see what was the matter. We found 
they had made a great bonfire in the middle of the square ; 
they were all drunk, men and women, quarreling and fight- 
ing. Their dark-colored bodies, half naked, seen only by 
the gloomy light of the bonfire, running after and beating 
one another with firebrands, accompanied by their horrid 
yellings, formed a scene the most resembling our ideas of 
hell that could well be imagined ; there was no appeasing the 
tumult, and we retired to our lodging. At midnight a number 
of them came thundering at our door, demanding more rum, 
of which we took no notice. 

The next day, sensible they had misbehaved in giving us 



BEN^JAMIN FRANKLIN. 123 

that disturbance, tbey sent three of their old counselors to 
make their apology. The orator acknowledged the fault, but 
laid it upon the rum ; and then endeavored to excuse the 
rum by saying: "-The Great Spirit, who made all things, 
made everything for some use, and whatever use he designed 
anything for, that use it should always he put to. Now, 
when he made rtim, he said, ' Let this be for the Indians to 
get drunk with,' and it must be so.'''' And, indeed, if it be 
the design of Providence to extirpate these savages in order 
to make room for cultivators of the earth, it seems not im- 
probable that rum may be the appointed means. It has 
already annihilated all the tribes who formerly inhabited the 
sea-coast. 

In 1751, Dr. Thomas Bond, a particular friend of mine, 
conceived the idea of establishing a hospital in Philadelphia 
(a very beneficent design, which has been ascribed to me, but 
was originally his), for the reception and cure of poor sick 
persons, whether inhabitants of the province or strangers. 
He was zealous and active in endeavoring to procure sub- 
scriptions for it, but the proposal being a novelty in America, 
and at first not well understood, he met with but small 
success. 

At length he came to me with the compliment that he found 
there was no such thing as carrying a public-spirited project 
through without my being concerned in it. " For," says he, 
" I am often asked by those to whom I propose subscribing, 
' Have you consulted Franklin upon this business ? And 
what does he think of it ? ' And when I tell them that I have 
not (supposing it rather out of your line), they do not sub- 
scribe, but say they will consider of it." I inquired into the 
nature and probable utility of his scheme, and receiving from 
him a very satisfactory explanation, I not only subscribed to 
it myself, but engaged heartily in the design of procuring 
subscriptions from others. Previously, how^ever, to the solici- 
tation, I endeavored to prepare the minds of the people by 
writing on the subject in the newspapers, which was my usual 
custom in such cases, but wiiich he had omitted. 



124: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 

The subscriptions afterwards were more free and generous ; 
but, beginning to flag, I saw they would be insufficient with- 
out some assistance from the Assembly, and therefore pro- 
posed to petition for it, which was done. The country mem- 
bers did not at first relish the project ; they objected that it 
could only be serviceable to the city, and therefore the citizens 
alone should be at the expense of it ; and they doubted 
whether the citizens themselves generally approved of it. 
My allegation on the contrary, that it met with such approba- 
tion as to leave no doubt of our being able to raise two thou- 
sand pounds by voluntary donations, they considered as a 
most extravagant supposition, and utterly impossible. 

On this I formed my plan ; and, asking leave to bring in a 
bill for incorporating the contributors according to the prayer 
of their petition, and granting them a blank sum of money, 
which leave was obtained chiefly on the consideration that 
the House could throw the bill out if they did not like it, I 
drew it so as to make the important clause a conditional one, 
viz.: "And be it enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that 
when the said contributors shall have met and chosen their 
managers and treasurer, and shall have raised by their con- 
tributions a capital stock of value (the yearly interest 

of which is to be applied to the accommodating of the sick 
poor ift the said hospital, free of charge for diet, attendance, 
advice, and medicines), and shall make the same appear to 
the satisfaction of the speaker of the Assembly for the time 
being, that then it shall and may be lawful for the said 
speaker, and he is hereby required, to sign an order on the 
provincial treasurer for the payment of two thousand pounds, 
in two yearly payments, to the treasurer of the said hospital, 
to be applied to the founding, building, and finishing of the 
same." 

This condition carried the bill through; for the members 
who had opposed the grant, and now conceived they might 
have the credit of being charitable without the expense, agreed 
to its passage; and then, in soliciting subscriptions among 
the people, we urged the conditional promise of the law as an 



BENJAMIK FRANKLIN. 125 

additional motive to give, since every man's donation would 
be doubled; thus the clause worked both ways. The sub- 
scriptions accordingly soon exceeded the requisite sum, and 
we claimed and received the public gift, which enabled us to 
carry the design into execution. A convenient and handsome 
building w^as soon erected; the institution has, by constant 
experience, been found useful, and flourishes to this day; 
and I do not remember any of my political maneuvers, the 
success of which gave me at the time more pleasure, or 
wherein, after thinking of it, I more easily excused myself 
for having made some use of cunning. 

It was about this time that another projector, the Rev. 
Gilbert Tennent, came to me with a request that I would assist 
him in procuring a subscription for erecting a new meeting- 
house. It was to be for the use of a congregation he had 
gathered among the Presbyterians, who were originally dis- 
ciples of Mr. Whitefleld. Unwilling to make myself disagree- 
able to my fellow-citizens by too frequently soliciting their 
contributions, I absolutely refused. He then desired I would 
furnish him with a list of the names of persons I knew by ex- 
perience to be generous and public-spirited. I thought it 
would be unbecoming in rae, after their kind compliance with 
my solicitations, to mark them out to be worried by other 
beggars, and therefore refused also to give such a list. He 
then desired I would at least give him my advice. '' That I 
will readily do," said I; "and, in the first place, I advise you 
to apply to all those whom you know will give something; 
next, to those whom you are uncertain whether they will give 
anything or not, and show them the list of those who have 
given; and, lastly, do not neglect those who you are sure will 
give nothing, for in some of them you may be mistaken." 
He laughed and thanked me, and said he would take my ad- 
vice. He did so, ^r he asked of everyhodij, and he obtained 
a much larger sum than he expected, with which he erected 
the capacious and very elegant meeting-house that stands in 
Arch Street. 

Our city, though laid out with a beautiful regularity, the 



126 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

streets large, straight, and crossing each other at right 
angles, had the disgrace of suffering those streets to remain 
long nnpaved, and in wet weather the wheels of heavy car- 
riages ploughed them into a quagmire, so that it was difficult 
to cross them; and in dry weather the dust was offensive. I 
had lived near what was called the Jersey Market, and saw, 
with pain, the inhabitants wading in mud while purchasing 
their provisions. A strip of ground down the middle of that 
market was at length paved with brick, so that, being once in 
the market, they had firm footing, but were often over shoes 
in dirt to get therBo By talking and writing on the subject, 
I was at length instrumental in getting the street paved with 
stone between the market and the bricked foot-pavement, that 
was on each side next the houses. This, for some time, gave 
an easy access to the market dry-shod; but, the rest of the 
street not being paved, whenever a carriage came out of the 
mud upon this pavement, it shook off and left its dirt upon 
it, and it was soon covered with mire, which was not re- 
moved, the city as yet having no scavengers. 

After some inquiry, I found a poor, industrious man, who 
was willing to undertake keeping the pavement clean, by 
sweeping it twice a week, carrying off the dirt from before all 
the neighbors' doors, for the sum of sixpence per month, to be 
paid by each house. I then wrote and printed a paper set- 
ting forth the advantages to the neighborhood that might 
be obtained by this small expense; the greater ease in keeping 
our houses clean, so much dirt not being brought in by 
people's feet; the benefit to the shops by more custom, etc., 
etc., as buyers could more easily get at them; and by not 
having, in windy weather, the dust blown in upon their goods, 
etc., etc. I sent one of these papers to each house, and in a 
day or two went round to see who would subscribe an agree- 
ment to pay these sixpences; it was unanimously signed, and 
for a time well executed. All the inhabitants of the city were 
delighted with the cleanliness of the pavement that surrounded 
the market, it being a convenience to all, and this raised a 



y BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 127 

general desire to have all the streets paved, and made tlie 
people more willing to submit to a tax for that purpose. 

After some time I drew a bill for paving the city, and 
brought it into the Assembly. It was just before I went to 
England, in 1757, and did not pass till I was gone, and then, 
with an alteration in the mode of assessment, which I thought 
not for the better, but with an additional provision for light- 
ing as well as paving the streets, which was a great improve- 
ment. It w^as by a private person, the late Mr. John Clifton, 
his giving a sample of the utility of lamps, by placing one at 
his door, that the people were first impressed with the idea of 
enlighting all the city. The honor of this public benefit has 
also been ascribed to me, but it belongs truly to that gentle-- 
man. I did but follow his example, and have only some 
merit to claim respecting the form of our lamps, as differing 
from the globe lamps we were at first supplied with from 
London. Those w^e found inconvenient in these respects: 
they admitted no air below; the smoke, therefore, did not 
readily go out above, but circulated in the globe, lodged on 
its inside, and soon obstructed the light they were intended 
to afford; giving, besides, the daily trouble of wiping them 
clean; and an accidental stix^ke on one of them Avould de- 
molish it, and render it totally useless. I therefore suggested 
the composing them of four flat panes, with a long funnel 
above to draw up the smoke, and crevices admitting air below, 
to facilitate the ascent of the smoke ; by this means they were 
kept clean, and did not grow dark in a few hours, as the 
London lamps do, but continued bright till morning, and an 
accidental stroke would generally break but a single pane, 
easily repaired. 

I have sometimes wondered that the Londoners did not, 
from the effect holes in the bottom of the globe lajjips used at 
VauxhalP have in keeping them clean, learn to nave such 
holes in their street lamps. But, these holes being made for 



1. Vauxhall.— A celebrated public prarden in London, where cheap 
amusements were presented to the public in great variety. Its charac- 
teristics are well described iu Thackeray's Vanity Fair. 



128 BENJAMIIf FRAl^KLIN^. 

another purpose, viz., to communicate flame more suddenly 
to the wick by a little flax hanging down through them, the 
other use, of letting in air, seems not to have been thought of; 
and therefore, after the lamps have been lit a few hours, the 
streets of London are very poorly illuminated. 

The mention of these improvements puts me in mind of one 
I proposed, when in London, to Dr. Fothergill, who was 
among the best men I have known, and a great promoter of 
useful projects. I had observed that the streets, when dry, 
were never swept, and the light dust carried away; but it 
was suffered to accumulate till wet weather reduced it to mud, 
and then, after lying some days so deep on the pavement that 
there was no crossing but in paths kept clean by poor people 
with brooms, it was with great labor raked together and 
thrown up into carts open above, the sides of which suffered 
some of the slush at every jolt on the pavement to shake out 
and fall, sometimes to the annoyance of foot-passengers. The 
reason given for not sweeping the dusty streets was, that the 
dust would fly into the windows of shops and houses. 

An accidental occurrence had instructed me how much 
sweeping might be done in a little time. I found at my door 
in Craven Street^ one morning, a poor woman sweeping my 
pavement with a birch broom ; she appeared very pale and 
feeble, as just come out of a fit of sickness. I asked who em- 
ployed her to sweep there; she said: "Nobody; but I am 
very poor and in distress, and I sweeps before gentlefolkses 
doors, and hopes they will give me something." I bid her 
sweep the whole street clean, and I would give her a shilling ; 
this was at nine o'clock ; at twelve she came for the shilling. 
From the slowness I saw at first in her working, I could 
scarce believe that the work was done so soon, and sent my 
servant to examine it, who reported that the whole street was 
swept perfectly clean, and all the dust placed in the gutter, 
which was in the middle ; and the next rain washed it quite 

1. American visitors in London will find a tablet, properly inscribed, upon 
the house occupied by Franklin, No. 7 Craven Street, a few steps off the 
Strand, near Charing Cross. It was kept by Mrs. Stevenson, whose daughter 
Mary became Frankhn's life-long friend. 



BENJAMIN FHANKLIN. 129 

away, so that the pavement and even the kennel were per- 
fect! j^ clean. 

I then judged that, if that feeble woman conld sweep such 
a street in three hours, a strong, active man might have done 
it in half the time. And here let me remark the convenience 
of having but one gutter in such a narrow street, running 
down its middle, instead of two, one on each side, near the 
footway ; for where all the rain that falls on a street runs 
from the sides and meets in the middle, it forms there a cur- 
rent strong enough to wash away all the mud it meets with ; 
but when divided into two channels, it is often too weak to 
cleanse either, and only makes the mud it finds more fluid, so 
that the wheels of carriages and feet of horses throw and 
dash it upon the foot-pavement, which is thereby rendered 
foul and slippery, and sometimes splash it upon those who are 
walking. My proposal, communicated to the good doctor, 
was as follows : 

"For the more effectual cleaning and keeping clean the 
streets of London and Westminster, it is proposed that the 
several watchmen be contracted with to have the dust swept 
up in dry seasons, and the mud raked up at other times, each 
in the several streets and lanes of liis round ; that they be 
furnished with brooms and other proper instruments for these 
purposes, to be kept at their respective stands, ready to fur- 
nish the poor people they may employ in the service. 

" That in the dry summer months the dust be all swept up 
into heaps at proper distances, before the shops and windows 
of houses are usually opened, when the scavengers, with 
close-covered carts, shall also carry it all away. 

"That the mud, when raked up, be not left in heaps to be 
spread abroad again by the wheels of carriages and trampling 
of horses, but that the scavengers be provided with bodies of 
carts, not placed high upon wheels, but low upon sliders, 
with lattice bottoms, which, being covered with straw, will 
retain the mud thrown into them, and permit the water to 
drain from it, M'hereby it will become much lighter, water 
making the greatest part of its weight ; these bodies of carts 



130 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

to be placed at convenient distances, and the mud brought to 
them in wheelbarrows ; they remaining where placed till the 
mud is drained, and then horses brought to draw them away.'* 

I have since had doubts of the practicability of the latter 
part of this proposal, on account of the narrowness of some 
streets, and the difficulty of placing the draining-sleds so as 
not to encumber too much the passage ; but I am still of 
opinion that the former, requiring the dust to be swept up 
and carried away before the shops are open, is very practi- 
cable in summer, when the days are long ; for, in walking 
through the Strand and Fleet Street one morning at seven 
o'clock, I observed there was not one shop open, though it 
had been daylight and the sun up above three hours ; the in- 
habitants of London choosing voluntarily to live much by 
candle-light, and sleep by sunshine, and yet often complain, a 
little absurdly, of the duty on candles, and the high price of 
tallow. 

Some may think these trifling matters not worth minding 
or relating ; but when they consider that though dust blown 
into the eyes of a single person, or into a single shop on a 
windy day, is but of small importance, yet the great number 
of the instances in a populous city, and its frequent repeti- 
tions give it weight and consequence, perhaps they will not 
censure very severely those who bestow some attention to 
affairs of this seemingly low nature. Human felicity is pro- 
duced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that 
seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day. 
Thus, if you teach a poor young man to shave himself, and 
keep his razor in order, you may contribute more to the 
happiness of his life than in giving him a thousand guineas. 
The money may be soon spent, the regret only remaining of 
having foolishly consumed it ; but in the other case, he es- 
capes the frequent vexation of waiting for barbers, and of 
their sometimes dirty fingers, offensive breaths, and dull 
razors ; he shaves when most convenient to him, and enjoys 
daily the pleasure of its being done with a good instrument. 
With these sentiments I have hazarded the few preceding 



BENJAMIX FRAXKLTN". 131 

pages, hoping they may afford liiiits whioh some time or other 
may be useful to a city I love, having lived many years in it 
very happily, and perhaps to some of our towns in America. 

Having been for some time employed by the postmaster- 
general of America as his controller in regulating several 
offices, and bringing the officers to account, I was, upon his 
death in 1753, appointed, jointly with Mr. William Hunter, 
to succeed him, by a commission from the postmaster-general 
in England. The American office never had hitherto paid 
anything to that of Great Britain. We were to have six hun- 
dred pounds a year between us, if we could make that sum 
out of the profits of the office. To do this, a variety of im- 
provements were necessary ; some of these were inevitably at 
first expensive, so that in the first four years the office be- 
came above nine hundred pounds in debt to us.' But it soon 
after began to repay us ; and before I was displaced by a 
freak of the ministers, of which I shall speak hereafter, we 
had brought it to yield three times as much clear revenue to 
the crown as the post-office of H-eland. Since that imprudent 
transaction, they have received from it— not one farthing ! 

The business of the post-office occasioned my taking a jour- 
ney this year to New England, where the College of Cam- 
bridge, of their own motion, presented me with the degree of 
Master of Arts. Yale College, in Connecticut, had before 
made me a similar compliment. Thus, without studying in 
any college, I came to partake of their honors. They were 
conferred in consideration of my improvements and discover- 
ies in the electric branch of natural philosophy. 

In 1754, war with France being again apprehended, a con- 
gress of commissioners from the different colonies was, by an 



1. He cut down postapre. included newspapers in the mail, established the 
penny-post in large towns, advertised unclaimed letters, increased the pace 
of the post-riders, and sent three mails a week where one had been sent 
before. Yet in 1775 this notice appeared in the " Gazette:" " This is to give 
notice, that the New England mail will henceforth go once a week the year 
round; when a correspondence may he carried on. and answers obtained to 
letters between Philadelphia and Boston in three weeks, which used in the 
winter to require six weeks." At the present tin)e more letters are delivered 
in New York City every twenty-four hours than Franklin distributed in the 
thirteen colonies in a whole year. 



132 BEX.TAMIN^ FRANKLIN. 

order of the Lords of Trade, ' to be assembled at Albany, there 
to confer with the chiefs of the Six Nations ^ concerning the 
means of defending both their country and ours. Governor 
Hamilton, having received this order, acquainted the House 
with it, requesting they would furnish proper presents for 
the Indians, to be given on this occasion ; and naming the 
speaker (Mr. Norris) and myself to join Mr. Thomas Penn 
and Mr. Secretary Peters ' as commissioners to act for Penn- 
sylvania. The House approved the nomination, and provided 
the goods for the present, though they did not much like 
treating out of the provinces ; and we met the other commis- 
sioners at Albany about the middle of June. 

In our way thither, I projected and drew a plan for the 
union of all the colonies under one government, so far as 
might be necessary for defense, and other important general 
purposes. As we passed through New York, I had there 
shown my project to Mr. James Alexander and Mr. Kennedy, 
two gentlemen of great knowledge in public affairs, and, be- 
ing fortified by their approbation, I ventured to lay it before 
the Congress. It then appeared that several of the commis- 
sioners had formed plans of the same kind. A previous 
question was first taken, whether a union should be estab- 
lished, which passed in the affirmative unanimously. A com- 
mittee was then appointed, one member from each colony, to 
consider the several plans and report. Mine happened to be 
preferred, and, with a few amendments, was accordingly re- 
ported. 

By this plan the general government was to be administered 
by a president-general, appointed and supported by the crown, 
and a grand council was to be chosen by the representatives 
of the people of the several colonies, met in their respective 
assemblies. The debates upon it in Congress went on daily, 
hand in hand with the Indian business. Many objections and 



1. liords of trade.— The Board of Trade in England, a part of the Home 

Government. 

2. Six Nations — The several tribes of Iroquois Indians in Central New 
York, forming a powerful confederacy. 

3. Secretary of the Assembly of Pennsylvania. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 133 

difficulties were started, but at length they were all overcome, 
and the plan was unanimously agreed to, and copies ordered 
to be transmitted to the Board of Trade and to the assemblies 
of the several provinces. Its fate was singular : the assem- 
blies did not adopt it, as they all thought there was too much 
prerogatice in it, and in England it was judged to have too 
much of the democratic. The Board of Trade therefore did 
not approve of it, nor recommend it for the approbation of 
his majesty; but another scheme was formed, supposed to an- 
svN'er the same purpose better, whereby the governors of the 
provinces, with some members of their respective councils, 
were to meet and order the raising of troops, building of 
forts, etc., and to draw on the treasury of Great Britain for 
the expense, which was afterwards to be refunded by an act 
of Parliament laying a tax on America. My plan, with my 
reasons in support of it, is to be found among my political 
papers that are printed. 

Being the winter following in Boston, I had much conversa- 
tion with Governor Shirley upon both the plans. Part of 
what passed between us on the occasion may also be seen 
among those papers. The different and contrary reasons of 
dislike to my plan make me suspect that it was really the true 
medium ; and I am still of opinion it would have been happy 
for both sides the water if it had been adopted. The colo- 
nies, so united, would have been sufficiently strong to have 
defended themselves ; there would then have been no need of 
troops from England ; of course, the subsequent pretense for 
taxing America, and the bloody contest it occasioned, would 
have been avoided. But such mistakes are not new : history 
is full of the errors of states and princes. 

" Look round the habitable world, how few 
Know their own good, or, knowing it, pursue!" 

Those who govern, having much business on their hands, 
do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and 
carrying into execution new projects. The best public meas- 
ures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, hat 
forced by the occasion. 



134 BENJAMIiq^ FRANKLI2s^. 

The Governor of Pennsylvania, in sending it down to the 
Assembly, expressed his approbation of the plan, "as appear- 
ing to him to be drawn up with great clearness and strength 
of judgment, and therefore recommended it as well worthy of 
their closest and most serious attention." The House, how- 
ever, by the management of a certain member, took it up 
when I happened to be absent, which I thought not very fair, 
and reprobated it without paying any attention to it at all, to 
my no small mortification. ^ 

In my journey to Boston this year, I met at New York wdth 
our new governor, Mr, Morris, just arrived there from Eng- 
land, with whom I had been before intimately acquainted. 
He brought a commission to supersede Mr. Hamilton, who, 
tired with the disputes his proprietary instructions subjected 
him to, had resigned. Mr. Morris asked me if I thought he 
must expect as uncomfortable an administration. I said : 
"No; you may, on the contrary, have a very comfortable 
one, if you will only take care not to enter into any dispute 
with the Assembly." "My dear friend," says he, pleasantly, 
"how can you advise my avoiding disputes? You know I 
love disputing ; it is one of my greatest pleasures ; however, 
to show the regard I have for your counsel, I promise you I 
will, if possible, avoid them." He had some reason for lov- 
ing to dispute, being eloquent, an acute sophister, and, there- 
fore, generally successful in argumentative conversation. He 
had been brought up to it from a boy, his father, as I have 
heard, accustoming his children to dispute with one another 
for his diversion, while sitting at table after dinner ; but I 
think the practice was not wise ; for, in the course of my ob- 



]. Franklin not only susr^ested thus early, in this "Albany Plan," the 
national idea that was soon to produce a new nation, but also in the same 
year (1754) presented in a newspaper letter the principles that twenty years 
later brought on the Revolution. He said: 

"That it is supposed an undoubted right of Englishmen not to be taxed 
but by their own consent, given through their representatives. 

"That the colonists have no representatives in Parliament. 

"That compelling the colonists to pay money without their consent 
would be rather like raising contributions in an enemy's country, than 
taxing of Englishmen for their own public benefit. 

" That it would be treating them as a conquered people, and not as true 
British subjects. ' ' 



BENJAMIN" FRAXKTJN. 135 

servation, these disputing, contradicting, and confuting peo- 
ple are generally unfortunate in their affairs. They get 
victory sometimes, but they never get good-will, which would 
be of more use to them. We parted, he going to Philadel- 
phia, and I to Boston. 

In returning, I met at New York with the votes of the As- 
sembly, by which it appeared that, notwithstanding his prom- 
ise to me, he and tho House were already in high contention ; 
and it was a continual battle between them as long as he 
retained the government. I had my share of it ; for, as soon 
as I got back to my seat in the Assembly, I was put on every 
committee for answering his speeches and messages, and by 
the committees always desired to make the drafts. Our an- 
swers, as well as his messages, were often tart, and sometimes 
indecently abusive ; and, as he knew I wrote for the Assem- 
bly, one might have imagined that, when we met, we could 
hardly avoid cutting throats ; but he was so good-natured a 
man that no personal difference between him and me was 
occasioned by the contest, and we often dined together. 

One afternoon, in the height of this public quarrel, we met 
in the street. "Franklin," says he, "you must go home 
with me and spend the evening ; I am to have some company 
that you will like ;" and, taking me by the arm, he led me to 
his house. In gay conversation over our wine, after supper, 
he told us. Jokingly, that he much admired the idea of Sancho 
Panza, who, when it was proposed to give him a government, 
requested it might be a government of blacks, as then, if he 
could not agree with his people, he might sell them. One of 
his friends, who sat next to me, says: "Franklin, why do 
you continue to side with these damned Quakers ? Had not 
you better sell them ? The proprietor would give you a good 
price." "The governor," says I, " has not y^i blacked them 
enough." He, indeed, had labored hard to blacken the As- 
sembly in all his messages, but they wiped off his coloring as 
fast as he laid it on, and placed it, in return, thick upon his 
own face ; so that, finding he was likely to be negrofied him- 



136 BEN^JAMIN FRANKLIN. 

self, he, as well as Mr. Hamilton, grew tired of the contest, 
and quitted ths government. 

These public quarrels were all at bottom owing to the pro- 
prietaries, our hereditary governors, who, when any expense 
was to be incurred for the defense of their province, with in- 
credible meanness instructed their deputies to pass no act for 
levying the necessary taxes, unless their vast estates were in 
the same act expressly excused ; and they had even taken 
bonds of these deputies to observe such instructions. The 
Assemblies for three years held out against this injustice, 
though constrained to bend at last. At length Captain Denny, 
who was Governor Morris's successor, ventured to disobey 
those instructions : how that was brought about I will show 
hereafter. 

But I am got forward too fast with my story : there are 
still some transactions to be mentioned that happened during 
the administration of Governor Morris. 

War being in a manner commenced with France, the gov- 
ernment of Massachusetts Bay projected an attack upon 
Crown Point, and sent Mr. Quincy to Pennsylvania, and Mr. 
Pownall, afterward Governor Pownall, to New York, to solicit 
assistance. As I was in the Assembly, knew its temper, and 
was Mr. Quincy's countryman, he applied to me for my influ- 
ence and assistance. I dictated his address to them, which 
was well received. They voted an aid of ten thousand pounds, 
to be laid out in provisions. But the governor refusing his 
assent to their bill (which included this with other sums 
granted for the use of the crown), unless a clause were in- 
serted exempting the proprietary estate from bearing any part 
of the tax that would be necessary, the Assembly, though 
very desirous of making their grant to New England effectual, 
were at a loss how to accomplish it. Mr. Quincy labored hard 
with the governor to obtain his assent, but he was obstinate. 

I then suggested a method of doing the business without 
the governor, by orders on the trustees of the Loan Office, 
which, by law, the Assembly had the right of drawing. 
There was, indeed, little or no money at that time in the office, 



BENJAMIN" FRANKLIN". 137 

and therefore I proposed that the orders should be payable in 
a year, and to bear an interest of five per cent. With these 
orders I supposed the provisions might easily be purchased. 
The Assembly, with very little hesitation, adopted the pro- 
posal. The orders were immediately printed, and I was one 
of the committee directed to sign and dispose of them. The 
fund for paying them was the interest of all the paper cur- 
rency then extant in the province upon loan, together with 
the revenue arising from the excise, which being known to be 
more than sufficient, they obtained instant credit, and were 
not only received in payment for the provisions, but many 
moneyed people, who had cash lying by them, vested it in 
those orders, which they found advantageous, as they bore 
interest while upon hand, and might on any occasion be used 
as money ; so that they were eagerly all bought up, and in a 
few weeks none of them were to be seen. Thus this important 
affair was by my means completed. Mr. Quincy returned 
thanks to the Assembly in a handsome memorial, went home 
highly pleased with the success of his embassy, and ever after 
bore for me the most cordial and affectionate friendship. 

The British government, not choosing to permit the union 
of the colonies as proposed at Albany, and to trust that union 
with their defense, lest they should thereby grow too military, 
and feel their own strength, suspicions and jealousies at this 
time being entertained of them, sent over General Braddock 
witli two regiments of regular English troops for that purpose. 
He lauded at Alexandria, in Virginia, and thence marched to 
Frederictown, in Maryland, where he halted for carriages. 
Our Assembly apprehending, from some information, that he 
had conceived violent prejudices against them, as averse to 
the service, wished me to wait upon him, not as from them, 
but as postmaster-general, under the guise of proposing to 
settle with him the mode of conducting with most celerity 
and certainty the despatches between him and the governors 
of the several provinces, with whom he must necessarily have 
continual correspondence, and of which they proposed to pay 
the expense. My son accompanied me on this journey. 



138 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

We found the general at Frederietovvn, waiting impatiently 
for the return of those he had sent through the back parts of 
Maryland and Virginia to collect wagons. I stayed with him 
several days, dined with him daily, and had full . opportu- 
nity of removing all his prejudices, by the information of 
what the Assembly had before his arrival actually done, and 
were still willing to do, to facilitate his operations. When I 
was about to depart, the returns of wagons to be obtained 
were brought in, by which it appeared that they amounted 
only to twenty-five, and not all of those were in serviceable 
condition. The general and all the officers were surprised, 
declared the expedition was then at an end, being impossible; 
and exclaimed against the ministers for ignorantly landing 
them in a country destitute of the means of conveying their 
stores, baggage, etc., not less than one hundred and fifty 
wagons being necessary. 

I happened to say I thought it was pity they had not 
been landed rather in Pennsylvania, as in that country almost 
every farmer had his wagon. The general eagerly laid hold 
of my words, and said: "Then you, sir, who are a man of 
interest there, can probably procure them for us; and I beg 
you will undertake it." I asked what terms were to be offered 
the owners of the wagons; and I was desired to put on paper 
the terms that appeared to me necessary. This I did, and 
they were agreed to, and a commission and instructions ac- 
cordingly prepared immediately. What those terms were 
will appear in the advertisement I published as soon as I ar- 
rived at Lancaster, which being, from the great and sudden 
effect it produced, a piece of some curiosity, I shall insert it 
at length, as follows: 

"Advertisement. 

" Lancaster, April -26, 1755, 

" Whereas, one hundred and fifty wagons, with four horses 
to each wagon, and fifteen hundred saddle or pack horses, 
are wanted for the service of his majesty's forces now about 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 139 

to rendezvous at AVill's Creek, and his excellency General 
Braddock, having been pleased to empower me to contract for 
the hire of the same, I hereby give notice that I shall attend 
for that purpose at Lancaster from this day to next Wednes- 
day evening, and at York from next Thursday morning till 
Friday evening, where I shall be ready to agree for wagons 
and teams, or single horses, on the following terms, viz.: 1. 
That there shall be paid for each wagon, with four good horses 
and a driver, fifteen shillings per diem; and for each able horse 
with a pack-saddle, or other saddle and furniture, two shillings 
per diem; and for each able horse without a saddle, eighteen 
pence per diem. 2. That the pay commence from the time 
of their joining the forces at Will's Creek, which must be on 
or before the 20th of May ensuing, and that a reasonable al- 
lowance be paid over and above for the time necessary for 
their traveling to Will's Creek and home again after their 
discharge. 3. Each wagon and team, and every saddle cr 
pack-horse, is to be valued by indifferent persons chosen be- 
tween me and the owner; and in case of the loss of any wagon, 
team, or other horse in the service, the price according to such 
valuation is to be allowed and paid. 4. Seven days' pay is to 
be advanced and paid in hand by me to the owner of each 
wagon and team, or horse, at the time of contracting, if re- 
quired, and the remainder to be paid by General Braddock, or 
by the paymaster of the army, at the time of their discharge, 
or from time to time, as it shall be demanded. 5. No drivers 
of wagons, or persons taking care of the hired horses, are on 
any account to be called upon to do the duty of soldiers, or be 
otherwise employed than in conducting or taking care of their 
carriages or horses. 6. All oats, Indian corn, or other forage 
that wagons or horses bring to the camp, more than is neces- 
sary for the subsistence of the horses, is to be taken for the 
use of the army, and a reasonable price paid for the same. 

"Note. — My son, William Franklin, is empowered to enter 
into like contracts with any person in Cumberland county. 

** B.Franklin." 



140 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

" To the Inhabitants of the Counties of Lancaster, York, ami 
Cii7nherland. 

" Friends and Countrymen: 

"Being occasionally at the camp at Frederic a few days 
since, I found the general and officers extremely exasperated 
on account of their not being supplied with horses and car- 
riages, which had been expected from this province, as most 
able to furnish them; but, through the dissensions between 
our. governor and Assembly, money had not been provided, 
nor any steps taken for that purpose. 

" It was proposed to send an armed force immediately into 
these counties, to seize as many of the best carriages and 
horses as should be wanted, and compel as many persons into 
the service as would be necessary to drive and take care of 
them. 

" I apprehended that the progress of British soldiers through 
these counties on such an occasion, especially considering the 
temper they are in, and their resentment against us, would 
be attended with many and great inconveniences to the in- 
habitants, and therefore more willingly took the trouble of 
trying first what might be done by fair and equitable means. 
The people of these back counties have lately complained to 
the Assembly that a sufficient currency w^as wanting; you 
have an opportunity of receiving and dividing among you a 
very considerable sum; for, if the service of this expedition 
should continue, as it is more than probable it will, for one 
hundred and twenty days, the hire of these wagons and horses 
will amount to upward of thirty thousand pounds, which will 
be paid you in silver and gold of the king's money. 

" The service will be light and easy, for the army will scarce 
march above twelve miles per day, and the wagons and bag- 
gage-horses, as they carry those things that are absolutely 
necessary to the welfare of the army, must march with the 
army, and no faster; and are, for the army's sake, always 
placed where they can be most secure, whether in a march or 
in a camp. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 141 

" If you are really, as I believe you are, good and loyal sub- 
jects to his majesty, you may now do a most acceptable ser- 
vice, and make it easy to yourselves; for three or four of such 
as cannot separately spare from the business of their planta- 
tions a wagon and four horses and a driver, may do it to- 
gether, one furnishing the wagon, another one or two horses, 
and another the driver, and divide the pay proportionably 
between yoii; but if you do not this service to your king and 
country voluntarily, when such good pay and reasonable 
terms are offered to you, your loyalty will be strongly sus- 
pected. The king's business must be done; so many brave 
troops, come so far for your defense, must not stand idle 
through your backw^ardness to do what may be reasonably 
expected from you; wagons and horses must be had; violent 
measures will probably be used, and you will be left to seek 
for a recompense where you can find it, and your case, per- 
haps, be little pitied or regarded. 

*' I have no particular interest in this affair, as, except the 
satisfaction of endeavoring to do good, I shall have only my 
labor for my pains. If this method of obtaining the wagons 
and horses is not likely to succeed, I am obliged to send word 
to the general in fourteen days; and I suppose Sir John St. 
Clair, the hussar, with a body of soldiers, will immediately 
enter the province for the purpose, which I shall be sorry to 
hear, becmise I am very sincerely and truly your friend and 
well-wisher, 

"B. Franklin." 

I received of the general about eight hundred pounds, to be 
disbursed in advance-money to the wagon owners, etc.; but 
that sum being insufficient, I advanced upward of two hun- 
dred pounds more, and in two weeks the one hundred and 
fifty wagons, with two hundred and fifty-nine carrying horses, 
were on their march for the camp. The advertisement prom- 
ised payment according to the valuation, in case any wagon 
or horse should be lost. The owners, however, alleging they 
did not know General Braddock, or what dependence might 



142 BENJAMTX FRANKLTK. 

be had on his promise, insisted on my bond for the perform- 
ance, which T accordingly gave them. 

While I was at the camp, supping one evening with the 
officers of Colonel Dunbar's regiment, he represented to me 
his concern for the subalterns, who, he said, were generally 
not in affluence, and could ill afford, in this dear country, to 
lay in the stores that might be necessary in so long a march, 
through a wilderness, where nothing was to be purchased. 
I commiserated their case, and resolved to endeavor procur- 
ing them some relief. I said nothing, however, to him of my 
intention, but wrote the next morning to the committee of 
the Assembly, who had the disposition of some public money, 
warmly recommending the case of these officers to their con- 
sideration, and proposing tliat a present should be sent them 
of necessaries and refreshments. My son, who had some ex- 
perience of a camp life, and of its wants, drew up a list for 
me, which I enclosed in my letter. The committee approved, 
and used such diligence that, conducted by my son, the stores 
arrived at the camp as soon as the wagons. They consisted 
of twenty parcels, each containing 

6 lbs. loaf sugar. 1 Gloucester cheese. 

6 lbs. good Muscovado do. 1 keg containing 20 lbs. good butter. 

1 lb. good green tea. 2 doz. old Madeira wine. 

1 lb. good bohea do. 2 gallons Jamaica spirits. 

6 lbs. good ground coffee. 1 bottle flour of mustard. 

6 lbs. chocolate. 2 well -cured hams. 

i cwt. best white biscuit. J dozen dried tongues. 

i lb. pepper. 6 lbs. rice. 

1 quart best white wine vinegar. 6 lbs. raisins. 

These twenty parcels, well packed, were placed on as many 
horses, each parcel, with the horse, being intended as a present 
for one officer. They were very thankfully received, and the 
kindness acknowledged by letters to me from the colonels of 
both regiments, in the most grateful terms. The general, 
too, was highly satisfied with my conduct in procuring him 
the wagons, etc., and readily paid my account of disburse- 
ments, thanking me repeatedly, and requesting my farther 
assistance in sending provisions after him. I undertook this 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 143 

also, and was busily employed in it till we heard of his defeat, 
advancing for the service of my own money, upwards of one 
thousand pounds sterling, of which 1 sent him an account. 
It came to his hands, luckily for me, a few days before the 
battle, and he returned me immediately an order on the 
paymaster for the round sum of one thousand pounds, leaving 
the remainder to the next account. I consider this payment 
as good luck, having never b^en able to obtain that remainder, 
of which more hereafter. 

This general was, I think, a brave man, and might probably 
have made a figure as a good officer in some European war. 
But he had too much self-confidence, too high an opinion of 
the validity of regular troops, and too mean a one of both 
Americans and Indians. George Croghan, our Indian in- 
terpreter, joined him on his march with one hundred of those 
people, who might have been of great use to his army as 
guides, scouts, etc. , if he had treated them kindly ; but he 
slighted and neglected them, and they gradually left him. 

In conversation with him one day, he was giving me some 
account of his intended progress. " After taking Fort Du- 
quesne," says he, '' I am to proceed to Niagara ; and, having 
taken that, to Frontenac, if the season will allow time ; and 
I suppose it will, for Duquesne can hardly detain me above 
three or four days ; and then I see nothing that can obstruct 
my march to Niagara." Having before revolved in my mind 
the long line his army must make in their march by a very 
narrow road, to be cut for them through the woods and 
bushes, and also what I had read of a former defeat of fifteen 
hundred French, who invaded the Iroquois country, I liad 
conceived some doubts and some fears for the event of the 
campaign. But I ventured only to say : " To be sure, sir, if 
you arrive well before Duquesne, with these fine troops, so 
well provided with artillery, that place, not yet completely 
fortified, and as we hear with no very strong garrison, can 
probably make but a short resistance. The only danger I 
apprehend of obstruction to your march is from ambuscades 
of Indians, who, by constant practice, are dexterous in laying 



144 BEKJAMIN FRANKLINo 

and executing them ; and the slender line, near four miles 
long, which your army must make, may expose it to be 
attacked by surprise in its flanks, and to be cut like a thread 
into several pieces, which, from their distance, cannot come 
up in time to support each other." 

He smiled at my ignorance, and replied: "These savages 
may, indeed, be a formidable enemy to your raw American 
militia, but upon the king's regular and disciplined troops, 
sir, it is impossible they should make any impression." I 
was conscious of an impropriety in my disputing wath a 
military man in matters of his profession, and said no more. 
The enemy, however, did not take the advantage of his 
army which I apprehended its long line of march exposed it 
to, but let it advance without interruption till within nine 
miles of the place ; and then, when more in a body (for it had 
just passed a river, where the front had halted till all had 
come over), and in a more open part of the woods than any 
it had passed, attacked its advance guard by a heavy fire from 
behind trees and bushes, which was the first intelligence the 
general had of an enemy's being near him. This guard being 
disordered, the general hurried the troops up to their assist- 
ance, which w'as done in great confusion, through w^agons, 
baggage, and cattle ; and presently the fire came upon their 
flank : the officers, being on horseback, were more easily 
distinguished, picked out as marks, and fell very fast ; and 
the soldiers were crowded together in a huddle, having or 
hearing no orders, and standing to be shot at till two- thirds 
of them were killed ; and then, being seized with a panic, 
the whole fled with precipitation. 

The w^agoners took each a horse out of his team and scam- 
pered; their example was immediately followed by others; so 
that all the wagons, provisions, artillery, and stores were left 
to the enemy. The general, being w^ounded, was brought off 
with difficulty; his secretary, Mr. Shirley, was killed by his 
side; and out of eighty-six officers, sixty-three were killed or 
wounded, and seven hundned and fourteen men killed out of 
eleven hundred. These eleven hundred had been picked men 



BENJAMIjq^ iniAXKLIN". 14^^ 

from the whole army; the rest had been left behind with 
Colonel Dunbar, who was to follow with the heavier part of 
the stores, provisions, and baggage. The fliers, not being 
pursued, arrived at Dunbar's camp, and the panic they 
brought with them instantly seized him and all his people; 
and, though he had now above one thousand men, and the 
enemy who had beaten Braddock did not at most exceed four 
hundred Indians and French together, instead of proceeding, 
and endeavoring to recover some of the lost honor, he ordered 
all the stores, ammunition, etc., to be destroyed, that he 
might have more horses to assist his flight towards the settle- 
ments, and less lumber to remove. He was there met with 
requests from the governors of Virginia, Maryland, and Penn- 
sylvania, that he would post his troops on the frontiers, so as 
to afford some protection to the inhabitants; but he continued 
his hasty march through all the country, not thinking himself 
safe till he arrived at Philadelphia, where the inhabitants 
could protect him. This whole transaction gave us Americans 
the first suspicion that our exalted ideas of the prowess of 
British regulars had not been well founded. 

In their first march, too, from their landing till they got 
beyond the settlements, they had plundered and stripped the 
inhabitants, totally ruining some poor families, besides insult- 
ing, abusing, and confining the people if they remonstrated. 
This was enough to put us out of conceit of such defenders, if 
we had really wanted any. How different was the conduct of 
our French friends in 1781, who, during a march through the 
most inhabited part of our country from Rhode Island to Vir- 
ginia, near seven hundred miles, occasioned not the smallest 
complaint for the loss of a pig, a chicken, or even an apple. 

Captain Orme, who was one of the general's aids-de-camp, 
and, being grievously wounded, was brought off with him, 
and continued with him to his death, which happened in a 
few days, told me that he was totally silent all the first day, 
and at night only said: " Who would have thought it f That 
he was silent again the following day, saying only at last: 



146 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

" We shall better know how to deal with them another tityie''^; 
and died in a few minutes after/ 

The secretary's papers, with all the general's orders, instruc- 
tions, and correspondence, falling into the enemy's hands, 
they selected and translated into French a number of the 
articles, which they printed, to prove the hostile intentions of 
the British court before the declaration of war. Among these 
I saw some letters of the general to the ministry, speaking 
highly of the great service I had rendered the army, and 
recommending me to their notice. David Hume, too, who 
was some years after secretary to Lord Hertford, when minis- 
ter in France, and afterward to General Conway, when secre- 
tary of state, told me he had seen among the papers in that 
office letters from Braddock highly recommending me. But, 
the expedition having been unfortunate, my service, it seems, 
was not thought of much value, for those recommendations 
were never of any use to me. 

As to rewards from himself, I asked only one, which was, 
that he would give orders to his officers not to enlist any 
more of our bought servants, and that he would discharge 
such as had been already enlisted. This he readily granted, 
and several were accordingly returned to their masters, on my 
application. Dunbar, when the command devolved on him, 
was not so generous. He being at Philadelphia, on his 
retreat, or rather flight, I applied to him for the discharge of 
the servants of three poor farmers of Lancaster County that 
he had enlisted, reminding him of the late general's orders on 
that head. He promised me that, if the masters would come 
to him at Trenton, w^here he should be in a few days on his 
march to New York, he would there deliver their men to 
them. They accordingly were at the expense and trouble of 
going to Trenton, and there he refused to perform his promise, 
to their great loss and disappointment. 

As soon as the loss of the wagons and horses was gener- 

1 Compare the account of Braddock's defeat in the various biographies 
of Washingrton. who played an important part in the affair. See particu- 
arly Irving's Life of Washington, chs. xv., xvi. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 147 

ally known, all the owners came upon me for the valuation 
which I had given bond to pay. Their demands gave me a 
great deal of trouble, my acquainting them that the money 
was ready in the paymaster's hands, but that orders for pay- 
ing it must first be obtained from General Shirley, and my 
assuring them that I had applied to that general by letter ; 
but, he being at a distance, an answer could not soon be re- 
ceived, and they must have patience, all this was not sufficient 
to satisfy, and some began to sue me. General Shirley at 
length relieved me from this terrible situation by appointing 
commissioners to examine the claims, and ordering payment. 
They amounted to near twenty thousand pound, which to pay 
would have ruined me. 

Before w^e had' the news of this defeat, the tw^o Doctors Bond 
came to me with a subscription paper for raising money to 
defray the expense of a grand firework, which it was intended 
to exhibit at a rejoicing on receipt of the news of our taking 
Fort Duquesne. I looked grave, and said it would, I thought, 
be time enough to prepare for the rejoicing w^hen we knew we 
should have occasion to rejoice. They seemed surprised that 
I did not immediately comply with their proposal. "Why 
the d — 1 ! " says one of them, " you surely don't suppose that 
the fort will not be taken?" " I don't know that it will not 
be taken, but I know that the events of war are subject to 
great uncertainty." T gave them the reasons of my doubting; 
the subscription was dropped, and the projectors thereby 
missed the mortification they would have undergone if the 
firework had been prepared. Doctor Bond, on some other 
occasion afterward, said that he did not like Franklin's fore- 
bodings. 

Governor Morris, w^ho had continually worried the Assembly 
with message after message before the defeat of Braddock, to 
beat them into the making of acts to raise money for the de- 
fense of the province, without taxing, among others, the pro- 
prietary estates, and had rejected all their bills for not having 
such an exempting clause, now redoubled his attacks with 
more hope of success, tlie danger and necessity being greater. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 

'he Assembly, however, continued firm, believing they had 
justice on their side, and that it would be giving up an essen- 
tial right if they suffered the governor to amend their money- 
bills. In one of the last, indeed, which was for granting fifty 
thousand pounds, his proposed amendment was only of a 
single word. The bill expressed "that all estates, real and 
personal, were to be taxed, those of the proprietaries not ex- 
cepted." His amendment was, for not read only: a small, but 
very material alteration. However, when the news of this 
disaster reached England, our friends there, whom we had 
taken care to furnish with all the Assembly's answers to the 
governor's messages, raised a clamor against the proprietaries 
for their meanness and injustice in giving their governor such 
instructions ; some going so far as to say that, by obstructing 
the defense of their province, they forfeited their right to it. 
They were intimidated by this, and sent orders to their re- 
ceiver-general to add five thousand pounds of their money to 
whatever sum might be given by the Assembly for such pur- 
pose. 

This, being notified to the House, was accepted in lieu of 
their share of a general tax, and a new bill was formed, with 
an exempting clause, which passed accordingly. By this act 
I was appointed one of the commissioners for disposing of the 
money, sixty thousand pounds. I had been active in model- 
ing the bill and procuring its passage, and had, at the same 
time, drawn a bill for establishing and disciplining a volun- 
tary militia, which I carried through the House without much 
difficulty, as care was taken in it to leave the Quakers at their 
liberty. ^ To promote the association necessary to form the 
militia, I wrote a dialogue, stating and answering all the ob- 
jections I could think of to such a militia, which was printed, 
and had, as I thought, great effect. 

1. The preamble of the bill exempted Quakers from bearing arms. For 
this reason many refused to enlist. To shame them, Franklin wrote "A 
Dialogue between X. Y, and Z concerning the present State of Affairs in 
Pennsylvania," which ends with these words: "O my friends, the glory of 
serving and saving others is superior to the advantage of being served "and 
secured. Let us resolutely and generously unite in our country's cause, in 
which to die is the sweetest of all deaths; and may the God of armies bless 
our honest endeavors." 



BENJAMIN" FRANKLIN". 149 

While the several companies in the city and^ country were 
forming, and learning their exercise, the governor prevailed 
with me to take charge of our North-western frontier, which 
was infested by the enemy, and provide for the defense of the 
inhabitants by raising troops and building a line of forts. I 
undertook this military business, though I did not conceive 
myself well qualified for it. He gave me a. commission with 
full powers, and a parcel of blank commissions for officers, to 
be given to whom I thought fit. I had but little difficulty in 
raising men, having soon five hundred and sixty under my 
command. My son, who had in the preceding war been an 
officer in the army raised against Canada, was my aid-de- 
camp, and of great use to me. The Indians had burned 
Gnadenhut, a village settled by the Moravians, and massacred 
the inhabitants ; but the place was thought a good situation 
for one of the forts. 

In order to march thither, I assembled the companies at 
Bethlehem, the chief establishment of those people. I was 
surprised to find it in so good a posture of defense ; the de- 
struction of Gnadenhut had made them apprehend danger. 
The principal buildings were defended by a stockade ; they 
had purchased a quantity of arms and ammunition from 'New 
York, and had even placed quantities of small paving-stones 
between the windows of their high stone houses, for their 
women to throw down upon the heads of any Indians that 
should attempt to force into them. The armed brethren, too, 
kept watch, and relieved as methodically as in any garrison 
town. In conversation with the bishop, Spangenberg, I 
mentioned this my surprise ; for, knowing they had obtained 
an act of Parliament exempting them from military duties in 
the colonies, I had supposed they were conscientiously scru- 
pulous of bearing arms. He answered me that it was not one 
of their established principles, but that, at the time of their 
obtaining that act, it was thought to be a principle with many 
of their people. On this occasion, however, they, to their 
surprise, found it adopted by but a few. It seems they were 
either deceived in themselves, or deceived the Parliament ; 



150 BEKJAMIX FRAls^KLIN". 

but common sense, aided by present danger, will sometimes 
be too strong for whimsical opinions. 

It was the beginning of January when we set out upon this 
business of building forts. I sent one detachment toward the 
Minisink, with instructions to erect one for the security of 
that upper part of the country, and another to the lower part, 
with similar instructions ; and I concluded to go myself with 
the rest of my force to Gnadenhut, where a fort was thought 
more immediately necessary. The Moravians procured me 
five wagons for our tools, stores, baggage, etc. 

Just before we left Bethlehem, eleven farmers, who had 
been driven from their plantations by the Indians, came to 
me requesting a supply of firearms, that they might go back 
and fetch off their cattle. I gave them each a gun with suitable 
ammunition. We had not marched many miles before it be- 
gan to rain, and it continued raining all day ; there were no 
habitations on the road to shelter us, till we arrived near 
night at the house of a German, where, and in his barn, we 
were all huddled together, as wet as water could make us. It 
was well we w^ere not attacked in our march, for our arms 
were of the most ordinary sort, and our men could not 
keep their gun-locks dry. The Indians are dexterous in con- 
trivances for that purpose, which we had not. They met that 
day the eleven poor farmers above mentioned, and killed ten 
of them. The one who escaped informed that his and his 
companions' guns would not go off, the priming being wet 
with the rain. 

The next day being fair, we continued our march, and ar- 
rived at the desolated Gnadenhut. There was a saw-mill near, 
round whith were left several piles of boards, with which 
we soon hutted ourselves ; an operation the more necessary 
at that inclement season, as we had no tents. Our first work 
was to bury more effectually the dead we found there, who 
had been half interred by the country people. 

The next morning our fort was planned and marked out, 
the circumference measuring four hundred and fifty-five feet, 
which would require as many palisades to be made of trees. 



BENJAMIN FKANKLIN. 151 

one with another, of a foot diameter each. Our axes, of 
which we had seventy, were immediately set to work to cut 
down trees, and, our men being dexterous in the use of them, 
great despatch was made. Seeing the trees fall so fast, I had 
the curiosity to look at my watch when tw^o men began to cut 
at a pine ; in six minutes they had it upon the ground, and I 
found it of fourteen inches diameter. Each pine made three 
palisades of eighteen feet long, pointed at one end. While 
these were preparing, our other men dug a trench all round, 
of three feet deep, in which the palisades were to be planted ; 
and, our wagons, the bodies being taken off, and the fore and 
hind wheels separated by taking out the pin which united the 
two parts of the perch, we had ten carriages, with two horses 
each, to bring the palisades from the woods to the spot. When 
they were set up. our carpenters built a stage of boards all 
round within, about six feet high, for the men to stand on 
when to fire through the loopholes. We had one swivel gun, 
which we mounted on one of the angles, and fired it as soon 
as fixed, to let the Indians know-, if any w^ere within hearing, 
that w'e had such pieces ; and thus our fort, if such a magnifi- 
cent name may be given to so miserable a stockade, was fin- 
ished in a week, though it rained so hard every other day that 
the men could not work. 

This gave me occasion to observe, that, when men are em- 
ployed, they are best contented ; for on the days they worked 
they were good-natured and cheerful, and, with the con- 
sciousness of having done a good day's work, they spent the 
evening jollily ; but on our idle days they were mutinous and 
quarrelsome, finding fault with their pork, the bread, etc., 
and in continual ill-humor, which put me in mind of a sea- 
captain, whose rule it was to keep his men constantly at work; 
and, when his mate once told him that they had done every- 
thing, and there was nothing further to employ them about, 
" Oh,'' says he, " make them scour the anchor y 

This kind of fort, however contemptible, is a sufficient de- 
fense against Indians, who have no cannon. Finding our- 
selves now posted securely, and having a place to retreat to 



152 BEN JAM IK FRANKLIN. 

on occasion, we ventured out in parties to scour the adjacent 
country. We met with no Indians, but we found the places 
on the neighboring hills where they had lain to watch our 
proceedings. There was an art in their contrivance of those 
places that seems worth mention. It being winter, a lire was 
necessary for them ; but a common fire on the surface of the 
ground would by its light have discovered their position at a 
distance. They had therefore dug holes in the ground about 
three feet diameter, and somewhat deeper ; we saw where 
they had with their hatchets cut off the charcoal from the 
sides of burnt logs lying in the woods. With these coals they 
had made small fires in the bottom of the holes, and we ob- 
served among the weeds and grass the prints of their bodies, 
made by their lying all round, with their legs hanging down 
in the holes to keep their feet warm, which, with them, is an 
essential point. This kind of fire, so managed, could not dis- 
cover them, either by its light, flame, sparks, or even smoke; 
it appeared that their number was not great, and it seems 
they saw we were too many to be attacked by them with pros- 
pect of advantage. 

We had for our chaplain a zealous Presbyterian minister, 
Mr. Beatty, who complained to me that the men did not gen- 
erally attend his prayers and exhortations. When they en- 
listed, they were promised, besides pay and provisions, a gill of 
rum a day, which was punctually served out to them, half in 
the morning, and the other half in the' evening; and I ob- 
served they were as punctual in attending to receive it ; upon 
which I said to Mr. Beatty : " It is, perhaps, below the dig- 
nity of your profession to act as steward of the rum, but if 
you were to deal it out and only just after prayers, you would 
have them all about you." He liked the thought, undertook 
the office, and, with the help of a few hands to measure out 
the liquor, executed it to satisfaction, and never were prayers 
more generally and more punctually attended ; so that I 
thought this method preferable to the punishment inflicted by 
some military laws for non-attendance on divine service. 

I had hardly finished this business, and got my fort well 



BENJAMIN^ FRANKLIIS". 153 

stored with provisions, when I received a letter from the gov- 
ernor, acquainting me that he had called the Assembly, and 
wished my attendance there, if the posture of affairs on the 
frontiers was such that my remaining there was no longer 
necessary. My friends, too, of the Assembly, pressing me by 
their letters to be, if possible, at the meeting, and my three 
intended forts being now completed, and the inhabitants con- 
tented to remain on their farms under that protection, I re- 
solved to return ; the more willingly, as a New England officer, 
Colonel Clapham, experienced in Indian war, being on a visit 
to our establishment, consented to accept the command. I 
gave him a commission, and, parading the garrison, had it 
read before them, and introduced him to them as an otficer 
who, from his skill in military affairs, was much more fit to 
command them than myself ; and, giving them a little exhor- 
tation, took my leave. I was escorted as far as Bethlehem, 
where I rested a few days to recover from the fatigue I had 
undergone. The first night, being in a good bed, I could 
hardly sleep, it was so different from my hard lodging on the 
floor of our hut at Gnaden wrapped only in a blanket or two. 
While at Bethlehem, I inquired a little into the practice of 
the Moravians : some of them had accompanied me, and all 
were very kind to me. I found they worked for a common 
stock, eat at common tables, and slept in common dormitories, 
great numbers together. In the dormitories I observed loop- 
holes, at certain distances all along just under the ceiling, 
which I thought judiciously placed for change of air. I was 
at their church, where I was entertained with good music, 
the organ being accompanied with violins, hautboys, flutes, 
clarinets, etc. I understood that their sermons were not 
usually preached to mixed congregations of men, women, and 
children, as is our common practice, but that they assembled 
sometimes the married men, at other times their wives, then 
the young men, the young women, and the little children, each 
division by itself. The sermon I heard was to the latter, who 
came in and were placed in rows on benches ; the boys under 
the conduct of a young man, their tutor, and the girls con- 



154 BENJAMIX FRANKLII^. 

ducted by a young woman. The discourse seemed well 
adapted to their capacities, and was delivered in a pleasing, 
familiar manner, coaxing them, as it were, to be good. They 
behaved very orderly, but looked pale and unhealthy, which 
made me suspect they were kept too much within doors, or 
not allowed sufficient exercise. 

I inquired concerning the Moravian marriages, whether the 
report was true that they were by lot. I was told that lots 
were used only in particular cases ; that generally, when a 
young man found himself disposed to marry, he informed the 
elders of his class, who consulted the elder ladies that gov- 
erned the young women. As these elders of the diflPerent 
sexes were well acquainted with the tempers and dispositions 
of their respective pupils, they could best judge what matches 
were suitable, and their judgments were generally acquiesced 
in ; but if, foi example, it should happen that two or three 
young women were found to be equally proper for the young 
man, the lot was then recurred to. I objected, if the matches 
are not made by the mutual choice of tlie parties, some of 
them may chance to be very unhappy. " And so they may," 
answered my informer, "if you let the parties choose for 
themselves ;" which, indeed, I could not deny. 

Being returned to Philadelphia, I found the association 
went on swimmingly, the inhabitants that were not Quakers 
having pretty generally come into it, formed th 3mselves into 
companies, and chose their captains, lieutenants, and ensigns, 
according to the new law. Dr. B. visited me, and gave me an 
account of the pains he had taken to spread a general good 
liking to the law, and ascribed much to those endeavors. I 
had liad the vanity to ascribe all to my Dialogue ; however, 
not knowing but that he might be in the right, I let him enjoy 
his opinion, which I take to be generally the best way in such 
cases. The officers, meeting, chose me to be colonel of the 
regiment, which I this time accepted. I forget how many 
companies we had, but we paraded about twelve hundred 
well-looking men, with a company of artillery, who had been 
furnished with six brass field-pieces, which thoy4iad become 



BENJAMIN FRANK LIX. 155 

SO expert in the use of as to fire twelve times in a minute. 
The first time I reviewed my regiment they accompanied me to 
my house, and would salute me with some rounds fired before 
my door, which shook down and broke several glasses of my 
electrical apparatus. And my new honor proved not much 
less brittle ; for all our commissions were soon after broken 
by a repeal of the law' in England. 

During this short time of my colonelship, being about to set 
out on a journey to Virginia, the officers of my regiment took 
it into their lieads that it would be proper for them to escort 
me out of towm, as far as the Lower Ferry. Just as I was 
getting on horseback they came to my door, between thirty 
and forty, mounted, and all in their uniforms. I had not 
been previously acquainted with the project, or I should have 
prevented it, being naturally averse to the assuming of state 
on any occasion ; and I was a good deal chagrined at their 
appearance, as I could not avoid their accompanying me. 
What made it worse was, that, as soon as we began to move, 
they drew their swords and rode with them naked all the way. 
Somebody wrote an account of this to the proprietor, and it 
gave him great offense. No such honor had been paid him 
when in the province, nor to any of his governors ; and he 
said it was only proper to princes of the blood- royal, which 
may be true for aught I know, who was, and still am, ignorant 
of the etiquette in such cases. 

This silly affair, however, greatly increased his rancor 
against me, which w'as before not a little, on account of my 
conduct in the Assembly respecting the exemption of his 
estate from taxation, which I had always opposed very warmly, 
and not without severe reflections on his meanness and injus- 
tice of contending for it. He accused me to the ministry as 
being the great obstacle to the king's service, preventing, by 
my influence in the House, the proper form of the bills for 
raising money, and he instanced this parade with my officers 
as a proof of my having an intention to take the government 
of the province out of his hands by force. He also applied to 
Bir Everard Fawkener, the postmaster-general, to deprive 



156 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 

me of my oifice ;' but it had no other effect than to procure 
from Sir Everard a gentle admonition. 

Notwithstanding the continual wrangle between the gover- 
nor and the House, in which I, as a member, had so large a 
share, there still subsisted a civil intercourse between that 
gentleman and myself, and we never had any personal differ- 
ence. I have sometimes since thought that his little or no 
resentment against me, for the answers it was known I drew 
up to his messages, might be the effect of professional 
habit, and that, being bred a law^-er, he might consider us 
both as merely advocates for contending clients in a suit, he 
for the proprietaries and I for the Assembly. He w^ould, 
therefore, sometimes call in a friendly way to advise with me 
on difficult points, and sometimes, though not often, take my 
advice. 

We acted in concert to supply Braddock's army with pro- 
visions ; and, when the shocking news arrived of his defeat, 
the governor sent in haste for me, to consult with him on 
measures for preventing tlie desertion of the back counties. 
I forget now the advice I gave ; but I think it was, that 
Dunbar should be written to, and prevailed with, if possible, 
to post his troops on the frontiers for their protection, till, by 
reinforcements from the colonies, he might be able to proceed 
on the expedition. And, after my return from the frontier, 
he would have had me undertake the conduct of such an 
expedition with provincial troops, for the reduction of Fort 
Duquesne, Dunbar and his men being otherwise emploj^ed ; 
and he proposed to commission me as general. I had not so 
good an opinion of my military abilities as he professed to 
have, and I believe his professions must have exceeded his 
real sentiments ; but probably he might think that my popu- 
larity would facilitate the raising of the men, and my influence 
in Assembly, the grant of money to pay them, and that, per- 
haps, without taxing the proprietary estate. Finding me not 
so forw^ard to engage as he expected, the project was dropped, 

1. That is, the office of postmaster-general of the colonies. See p.13l 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 15? 

and he soon after left the government, being superseded by 
Captain Denny. 

Before I proceed in relating the part I bad in i)ublic affairs 
nnder this new governor's administration, it may not be amiss 
here to give some account of the rise and progress of my 
philosophical reputation. 

In 1746, being at Boston, I met there with a Dr. Spence, 
who was lately arrived from Scotland, and showed me some 
electric experiments. They were imperfectly performed, as he 
was not very expert ; but, being on a subject quite new to me, 
they equally surprised and pleased me. Soon after my return 
to Philadelphia, our library company received from Mr. P. 
Collinson, Fellow of the Royal Society of London, a present of 
a glass tube, with some account of the use of it in making 
such experiments. I eagerly seized the opportunity of repeat- 
ing what I had seen at Boston ; and, by much practice, ac- 
quired great readiness in performing those, also, which we 
had an account of from England, adding a number of new 
ones. I say much practice, for my house was continually 
full, for some time, with people who came to see these new 
wonders. 

To divide a little this incumbrance among my friends, I 
caused a number of similar tubes to be blown at our glass- 
house, with which they furnished themselves, so that we had 
at length several performers. Among these, the principal 
was Mr. Kinnersley, an ingenious neighbor, who, being out of 
business, I encouraged to undertake showing the experiments 
for money, and drew up for him two lectures, in which the 
experiments were ranged in such order, and accompanied 
with such explanations in such method, as that the foregoing 
should assist in comprehending the following. He procured 
an elegant apparatus for the purpose, in which all the little 
machines that I had roughly made for myself were nicely 
formed by instrument- makers. His lectures were well at- 
tended, and gave great satisfaction ; and after some time he 
went through the colonies, exhibiting them in every capital 
town, and picked up some money. In the West India islands, 



158 BEITJAMIK FKANKLIN". 

indeed, it was with diflBculty the experiments could be made, 
from the general moisture of the air. 

Obliged as we were to Mr. Collinson for his present of the 
tube, etc., I thought it right he should be informed of our 
success in using it, and wrote him several letters containing 
accounts of our experiments. He got them read in the Royal 
Society, where they were not at first thought worth so much 
notice as to be printed in their Transactions. One paper, 
which I wrote for Mr. Kinnersley, on the sameness of light- 
ning with electricity, I sent to Dr. Mitchel, an acquaintance 
of mine, and one of the members also of that society, who 
wrote me word that it had been read, but was laughed at by 
the connoisseurs. The papers, however, being shown to Dr. 
Fothergill, he thought them of too much value to be stifled, 
and advised the printing of them. Mr. Collinson then gave 
them to Cave for publication in his Gentleman'' s Magazine ; 
but he chose to print them separately in a pamphlet, and 
Dr. Fothergill wrote the preface. Cave, it seems, judged 
rightly for his profit, for by the additions that arrived after- 
ward, they swelled to a quarto volume, which has had five 
editions, and cost him nothing for copy-money.' 

It was, however, some time before those papers were much 
taken notice of in England. A copy of them happening to 
fall into the hands of the Count de Buffon, a philosopher 
deservedly of great reputation in France, and, indeed, all 
over Europe, he prevailed with M. Dalibard to translate them 
into French, and they were printed at Paris. The publication 
offended the Abbe Nollet, preceptor in Natural Philosophy to 
the royal family, and an able experimenter, who had formed 
and published a theory of electricity, which then had the gen- 
eral vogue. He could not at first believe that such a work 
came from America, and said it must have been fabricated by 

1. The celebrated paper in which Franklin suggested the lightning-rod, 
written in 1750. was entitled: ''Opinions and Conjectures concerning the 
Properties and Effects of the Electrical Matter, and the Means of Preserving 
Buildings, Ships, etc., from Lightning, arising from Experiments and Obser- 
vations made at Philadelphia. 1749." Two years later he flew the famous 
kite, and made good his "conjecture " that lightning and electricity are the 
same. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 159 

his enemies at Paris, to decry his system. Afterwards, hav- 
ing been assured that there really existed such a person as 
Franklin at Philadelphia, which he had doubted, he wrote 
and published a volume of Letters, chiefly addressed to me, 
defending his theory, and denying the verity of my experi- 
ments, and of the positions deduced from them. 

I once purposed answering the abbe, and actually began the 
answer ; but, on consideration that my writings contained a 
description of experiments which any one might repeat and 
verify, and if not to be verified, could not be defended ; or 
of observations offered as conjectures, and not delivered dog- 
matically, therefore not laying me under any obligation to 
defend them ; and reflecting that a dispute between two per- 
sons, writing in different languages, might be lengthened 
greatly by mistranslations, and thence misconceptions of one 
another's meaning, much of one of the abbe's letters being 
founded on an error in the translation, I concluded to let my 
papers shift for themselves, believing it was better to spend 
what time I could spare from public business in making new 
experiments, than in disputing about those already made. I 
therefore never answered M. Nollet, and the event gave me 
no cause to repent my silence ; for my friend M. le Roy, of 
the Royal Academy of Sciences, took up my cause and refuted 
him ; my book was translated into the Italian, German, and 
Latin languages ; and the doctrine it contained w^as by de- 
grees universally adopted by the philosophers of Europe, in 
preference to that of the abbe ; so that he lived to see himself 

the last of his sect, except Monsieur B , of Paris, his eleve^ 

and immediate disciple. 

What gave my book the more sudden and general celebrity, 
was the success of one of its proposed experiments, made by 
Messrs. Dalibard and De Lor at Marly, for drawing lightning 
from the clouds. This engaged the public attention every- 
where. M. de Lor, who had an apparatus for experimental 
philosophy, and lectured in that branch of science, undertook 

1, Elfive.— French for pupil or scholar. 



160 SENJAMIN^ FRANKLIN. 

to repeat what he called the PhiladelpJiia Experiments; and, 
after they were performed before the king and court, all the 
curious of Paris flocked to see them. I will not swell this nar- 
rative with an account of that capital experiment, nor of the 
infinite pleasure I received in the success of a similar one I 
made soon after with a kite at Philadelphia, as both are to be 
found in the histories of electricity. 

Dr. Wright, an English physician, when at Paris, wTote to 
a friend, who was of the Royal Society, an account of the high 
esteem my experiments were in among the learned abroad, 
and of their wonder that my writings had been so little no- 
ticed in England. The society, on this, resumed the consid- 
eration of the letters that had been read to them ; and the 
celebrated Dr. Watson drew up a summary account of them, 
and of all I had afterwards sent to England on the subject, 
which he accompanied with some praise of the writer. This 
summary was then printed in their Transactions : and some 
members of the society in London, particularly the very in- 
genious Mr. Canton, having verified the experiment of procur- 
ing lightning from the clouds by a pointed rod, and acquainting 
them with the success, they soon made me more than amends 
for the slight with which they had before treated me. With- 
out my having made any application for that honor, they 
chose me a member, and voted that I should be excused the 
customary payments, which would have amounted to twenty- 
five guineas ; and ever since have given me their Transactions 
gratis. They also presented me with the gold medal of Sir 
Godfrey Copley for the year 1753, the delivery of which was 
accompanied by a very handsome speech of the president. 
Lord Macclesfield, wherein I was highly honored. 

Our new governor, Captain Denny, brought over for me the 
before-mentioned medal from the Royal Society, which he 
presented to me at an entertainment given him by the city. 
He accompanied it with very polite expressions of his esteem 
for me, having, as he said, been long acquainted with my 
character. After dinner, when the company, as was custom- 
ary at that time, were engaged in drinking, he took me aside 



BBifJAMIif FRANKLtSr. 161 

into another room, and acquainted me that he had been ad- 
vised by bis friends in England to cultivate a friendship with 
me, as one who was capable of giving him the best advice, 
and of contributing most effectually to the making his admin- 
istration easy ; that he therefore desired of all things to have 
a good understanding with me, and he begged me to be as- 
sured of his readiness on all occasions to render me every 
service that might be in his power. He said much to me, 
also, of the proprietor's good disposition towards the province, 
and of the advantage it might be to us all, and to me in par- 
ticular, if the opposition that had been so long continued to 
his measures was dropped, and harmony restored between him 
and the people ; in effecting which, it was thought no one 
could be more serviceable than myself ; and I might depend 
on adequate acknowledgments and recompenses, etc., etc. 
The drinkers, finding we did not return immediately to the 
table, sent us a decanter of Madeira, which the governor 
made liberal use of, and in proportion became more profuse 
of his solicitations and promises. 

My answers were to this purpose : that my circumstances, 
thanks to God, were such as to make proprietary favors un- 
necessary to me ; and that, being a member of the Assembly, 
I could not possibly accept of any ; that, however, I had no 
personal enmity to the proprietary, and that, whenever the 
public measures he proposed should appear to be for the good 
of the people, no one should espouse and forward them more 
zealously than myself; my past opposition having been 
founded on this, that the measures which had been urged 
were evidently intended to serve the proprietary interest, with 
great prejudice to that of the people ; that I was much 
obliged to him (the governor) for his professions of regard to 
me, and that he might rely on everything in my power to 
make his administration as easy as possible, hoping at the 
same time that he had not brought with him the same unfor- 
tunate instruction his predecessor had been hampered with. 

On this he did not then explain himself ; but when he af- 
terwards came to do business with the Assembly, they ap- 



162 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 

peared again, the disputes were renewed, and I was as active 
as ever in the opposition, being the penman, first, of the 
request to have a communication of the instructions, and then 
of the remarks upon them, which may be found in the votes 
of the time, and in the Historical Review I afterward pub- 
lished. But between us personally no enmity arose ; we were 
often together ; he was a man of letters, had seen much of 
the world, and was very entertaining and pleasing in conver- 
sation. He gave me the first information that my old friend 
Jas. Ralph was still alive ; that he was esteemed one of the 
best political writers in England ; had been employed in the 
dispute between Prince Frederic and the king, and had ob- 
tained a pension of three hundred a year ; that his reputation 
was indeed small as a poet. Pope having damned his poetry in 
the Dunciad ; but his prose was thought as good as any man's. 

The Assembly finally finding the proprietary obstinately 
persisted in manacling their deputies with instructions incon- 
sistent not only with the privileges of the people, but with the 
service of the crown, resolved to petition the king against 
them, and appointed me their agent to go over to England, to 
present and support the petition. The House had sent up a 
bill to the governor, granting a sum of sixty thousand pounds 
for the king's use (ten thousand pounds of which was sub- 
jected to the orders of the then general. Lord Loudon),* 
which the governor absolutely refused to pass, in compliance 
with his instructions. 

I had agreed with Captain Morris, of the packet at New 
York', for my passage, and my stores were put on board, when 
Lord Loudon arrived at Philadelphia, expressly, as he told 
me, to endeavor an accommodation between the governor and 
Assembly, that his majesty's service might not be obstructed 
by their dissensions. Accordingly, he desired the governor 
and myself to meet him, that he might hear what was to be 
said on both sides. We met and discussed the business. In 



1. Lord Loudon was the newly-appointed grovernor of New York, and "a 
sort of military over-lord over all the governors, assemblies, and people of 
the American provinces." 



BEKJAMIiq- FRAKKLIN". 163 

behalf of the Assembly, I urged all the various arguments 
that may be found in the public papers of that time, which 
were of my writing, and are printed with the minutes of the 
Assembly ; and the governor pleaded his instructions ; the 
bond he had given to observe them, and his ruin if he dis- 
.obeyed, yet seemed not unwilling to hazard himself if Lord 
Loudon would advise it. This his lordship did not choose to 
do, though I once thought I had nearly prevailed with him 
to do it ; but finally he rather chose to urge the compliance 
of the Assembly ; and he entreated me to use my endeavors 
with them for that purpose, declaring that he would spare 
none of the king's troops for the defense of our frontiers, and 
that, if we did not continue to provide for that defense our- 
selves, they must remain exposed to the enemy. 

I acquainted the House with what had passed, and, present- 
ing them with a set of resolutions I had draw^n up, declaring 
our rights, and that w^e did not relinquish our claims to those 
rights, but only suspended the exercise of them on this occa- 
sion through /o7-ce, against which we protested, they at length 
agreed to drop that bill, and frame another conformable to the 
proprietary instructions. This of course the governor passed, 
and T was then at liberty to proceed on my voyage. But, in 
the mean time, the packet had sailed with my sea-stores, w^hich 
was some loss to me, and my only recompense was his lord- 
ship's thanks for my service, all the ci'edit of obtaining the 
accommodation falling to his share. 

He set out for New York before me ; and, as the time for 
dispatching the packet-boats was at his disposition, and there 
were two then remaining there, one of which, he said, w^as to 
sail very soon, I requested to know the precise time, that I 
might not miss her by any delay of mine. His answer was : 
" I have given out that she is to sail on Saturday next ; but I 
may let you know^, entre iioiis, that if you are there by Mon- 
day morning, you wall be in time, but do not delay longer." 
By some accidental hindrance at a ferry, it was Monday noon 
before I arrived, and I was much afraid she might have sailed, 
as the wind was fair ; but I was soon made easy by the infor- 



164 BENJAMIN PBANKLIN. 

mation that she was still in the harbor, and would not move 
till the next day. One would imagine that I was now on the 
very point of departing for Europe. I thought so ; but I was 
not then so well acquainted with his lordship's character, of 
which indecision was one of the strongest features. I shall 
give some instances. It was about the beginning of April that 
I came to New York, and I think it was near the end of June 
before we sailed. There were then two of the packet-boats, 
which had been long in port, but were detained for the gen- 
eral's letters, which were always to be ready to-morrow. 
Another packet arrived ; she too was detained ; and, before 
we sailed, a fourth was expected. Ours was the first to be 
dispatched, as having been there longest. Passengers were 
engaged in all, and some extremely impatient to be gone, and 
the merchants uneasy about their letters, and the orders they 
had given for insurance (it being war lime) for fall goods ; but 
their anxiety availed nothing ; his lordship's letters were not 
ready ; and yet whoever waited on him found him always at 
his desk, pen in hand, and concluded he must needs write 
abundantly. 

Going myself one morning to pay my respects, I found in 
his antechamber one Innis, a messenger of Philadelphia, who 
had come from thence express with a packet from Governor 
Denny for the General. He delivered to me some letters from 
my friends there, which occasioned my inquiry when he was 
to return, and where he lodged, that I might send some letters 
by him. He told me he was ordered to call to-morrow at nine 
for the General's answer to the governor, and should set off 
immediately. I put my letters into his hands the same day. 
A fortnight after I met him again in the same place. "So, 
you are soon returned, Innis?" '■'•Returned ! no, I am not 
gone yet." *' How so ? " ''I have called here by order every 
morning these two weeks past for his lordship's letter, and it 
is not yet ready." *' Is it possible, when he is so great a 
writer? fori see him constantly at his escritoire." "Yes," 
says Innis, " but he is like St. George on the signs, ahvays on 
ho7'sef)ack, and never rides on.'''' This obsei'vation of the mes- 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 165 

seiiger was, ii seems, well founded ; for, when in England, I 
understood that Mr. Pitt gave it as one reason for removing 
this general, and sending Generals Amherst and Wolfe, that 
the minister never heard from him , and could not know what 
he was doing. 

This daily expectation of sailing, and all the three packets 
going down to Sandy Hook, to join the fleet there, the passen- 
gers thought it best to be on board, lest by a sudden order the 
ships should sail, and they be left behind. There, if I remem- 
ber right, we were about six weeks, consuming our sea-stores, 
and obliged to procure more. At length the fleet sailed, the 
General and all his army on board, bound to Louisburg, with 
intent to besiege and take that fortress ; all the packet-boats 
in company ordered to attend the General's ship, ready to 
receive his dispatches when they should be ready. "We were 
out five days before we got a letter with leave to part, and 
then our ship quitted the fleet and steered for England. The 
other two packets he still detained, carried them with him to 
Halifax, where he stayed some time to exercise the men in sham 
attacks upon sham forts, then altered his mind as to besieging 
Louisburg, and returned to New York, with all his troops, 
together with the two packets above mentioned, and all their 
passengers ! During his absence the French and savages had 
taken Fort George, on the frontier of that province, and the 
savages had massacred many of the garrison after capitulation. 

I saw afterwards in London Captain Bonnell, who com- 
manded one of those packets. He told me that, when he had 
been detained a month, he acquainted his lordship that his 
ship was grown foul, to a degree that must necessarily hinder 
her fast sailing, a point of consequence for a packet-boat, and 
requested an allowance of time to heave her down and clean 
her bottom. He was asked how long time that would require. 
He answered, three days. The General replied: " If you can 
do it in one day, I give leave; otherwise not; for you must 
certainly sail the day after to-morrow." So he never obtained 
leave, though detained afterwards from day to day during full 
three months. 



166 BEiq^JAMIN FRANKLIN". 

I saw also in London one of Bonnell's passengers, who was 
so enraged against his lordship for deceiving and detaining 
him so long at New York, and then carrying him to Halifax 
and back again, that he swore he would sue him for damages. 
Whether he did or not, I never heard; but, as he represented 
the injury to his affairs, it was very considerable. 

On the whole, I wondered much how such a man came to 
be intrusted with so important a business as the conduct of a 
great army; but, having since seen more of the great world, 
and the means of obtaining and motives for giving places, my 
wonder is diminished. General Shirley, on whom the com- 
mand of the army devolved upon the death of Braddock, 
would, in my opinion, if continued in place, have made a 
much better campaign than that of Loudon in 1757, which 
was frivolous, expensive, and disgraceful to our nation be- 
yond conception; for, though Shirley was not a bred soldier, 
he was sensible and sagacious in himself, and attentive to 
good advice from others, capable of forming judicious plans, 
and quick and active in carrying them into execution. Lou- 
don, instead of defending the colonies with his great army, 
left them totally exposed, while he paraded idly at Halifax, 
by which means Fort George was lost; besides, he deranged 
all our mercantile operations, and distressed our trade, by a 
long embargo on the exportation of provisions, on pretense of 
keeping supplies from being obtained by the enemy, but in 
reality for beating down their price in favor of the con- 
tractors, in whose profits, it was said, perhaps from suspicion 
only, he had a share. And, when at length the embargo was 
taken off, by neglecting to send notice of it to Charlestown, 
the Carolina fleet was detained near three months longer, 
whereby their bottoms were so much damaged by the worm 
that a great part of them foundered in their passage home.* 

Shirley was, I believe, sincerely glad of being relieved from 
so burdensome a charge as the conduct of an army must be to 
a man unacquainted with military business. I was at the 

1. See Bancroft's History of the United States, vol. ii. p. 462. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 167 

entertainment given by the city of New York to Lord Lou- 
don, on his taking upon him the command. Shirley, though 
thereby superseded, was present also. There was a great 
company of officers, citizens, and strangers, and, some chairs 
having been borrowed in the neighborhood, there was one 
among them very low, which fell to the lot of Mr. Shirley. 
Perceiving it as I sat by him, I said: "They have given you, 
sir, too low a seat." "No matter," says he, "Mr. Franklin, 
I find a low seat the easiest." 

While I was, as afore mentioned, detained at New York, I 
received all the accounts of the provisions, etc., that I had 
furnished to Braddock, some of which accounts could not 
sooner be obtained from the different persons I had employed 
to assist in the business. I presented them to Lord Loudon, 
desiring to be paid the balance. He caused them to be regu- 
larly examined by the proper officer, who, after comparing 
every article with its voucher, certified them to be right; and 
the balance due for which his lordship promised to give me 
an order on the paymaster. This was, however, put off from 
time to time; and, though I called often for it by appointment, 
I did not get it. At length, just before my departure, he told 
me he had, on better consideration, concluded not to mix his 
accounts with those of his predecessors. "And you," says 
he, " when in England, have only to exhibit your accounts at 
the treasury, and you will be paid immediately." 

I mentioned, but without effect, the great and unexpected 
expense I had been put to by being detained so long at New 
York, as a reason for my desiring to be presently paid; and 
on my observing that it was not right I should be put to any 
further trouble or delay in obtaining the money I had ad- 
vanced, as I charged no commission for my service, " O, sir," 
says he, "you must not think of persuading us that you are 
no gainer; we understand better those affairs, and know that 
every one concerned in supplying the army finds means, in 
the doing it, to fill his own pockets." I assured him that was 
not my case, and that I had not pocketed a farthing; but he 
appeared clearly not to believe me ; and, indeed, I have since 



168 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 

learned that immense fortunes are often made in such em- 
ployments. As to my balance, I am not paid it to this day, 
of which more hereafter. 

Our captain of the packet had boasted much, before we 
sailed, of the swiftness of his ship; unfortunately, when we 
came to sea, she proved the dullest of ninety-six sail, to his 
no small mortification. After many conjectures respecting 
the cause, when we were near another ship almost as dull as 
ours, which, however, gained upon us, the captain ordered all 
hands to come aft, and stand as near the ensign staff as pos- 
sible. We were, passengers included, about forty persons. 
While we stood there, the ship mended her pace, and soon 
left her neighbor far behind, which proved clearly what our 
captain suspected, that she was loaded too much by the head. 
The casks of water, it seems, had been all placed forward; 
these he therefore ordered to be moved further aft, on which 
the ship recovered her character, and proved the best sailer in 
the fleet. 

The captain said she had once gone at the rate of thirteen 
knots, which is accounted thirteen miles per hour. We had 
on board, as a passenger, Captain Kennedy, of the Navy, who 
contended that it was impossible, and that no ship ever sailed 
so fast, and that there must have been some error in the 
division of the log-line, or some mistake in heaving the log. 
A wager ensued between the two captains, to be decided when 
there should be sufficient wind. Kennedy thereupon exam- 
ined rigorously the log-line, and, being satisfied with that, he 
determined to throw the log himself. Accordingly some days 
after, when the wind blew very fair and fresh, and the cap- 
tain of the packet, Lutwidge, said he believed she then went 
at the rate of thirteen knots, Kennedy made the experiment, 
and owned his wager lost. 

The above fact I give for the sake of the following observa- 
tion. It has been remarked, as an imperfection in the art of 
shipbuilding, that it can never be known, till she is tried, 
whether a new ship will or will not be a good sailer; for that 
the model of a good-sailing ship has been exactly followed in 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 169 

a new one, which has proved, on the contrary, remarkably 
dull. I apprehend that this may partly be occasioned by the 
different opinions of seamen] respecting the modes of lading, 
rigging, and sailing of a ship; each has his system; and the 
same vessel, laden by the judgment and orders of one cap- 
tain, shall sail better or worse than when by the orders of 
another. Besides, it scarce ever happens that a ship is 
formed, fitted for the sea, and sailed by the same person. 
One man builds the hull, another rigs her, a third lades and 
sails her. No one of these has the advantage of knowing 
all the ideas and experience of the others, and, therefore, 
cannot draw just conclusions from a combination of the 
whole. 

Even in the simple operation of sailing when at sea, I have 
often observed different judgments in the officers who com- 
manded the successive watches, the wind being the same. 
One would have the sails trimmed sharper or flatter than 
another, so that they seemed to have no certain rule to govern 
by. Yet I think a set of experiments might be instituted, 
first, to determine the most proper form of the hull for swift 
sailing ; next, the best dimensions and properest place for the 
masts ; then the form and quantity of sails, and their posi- 
tion, as the wind may be ; and, lastly, the disposition of the 
lading. This is an age of experiments, and I think a set ac- 
curately made and combined would be of great use. I am 
persuaded, therefore, that ere long some ingenious philoso- 
pher will undertake it, to whom I wish success. 

"We were several times chased in our passage, but outsailed 
everything, and in thirty days had soundings. We had a 
good observation, and the captain judged himself so near our 
port, Falmouth, that, if we made a good run in the night, we 
might be off the mouth of that harbor in the morning, and by 
running in the night might escape the notice of the enemy's 
privateers, who often cruised near the entrance of the chan- 
nel. Accordingly, all the sail was set that we could possibly 
make, and the wind being very fresh and fair, we went right 
before it, and made great way. The captain, after his obser- 



170 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

vation, shaped his course, as he thought, so as to pass wide of 
the Scilly Isles ; but it seems there is sometimes a strong in- 
draught setting up St. George's Channel, which deceives sea- 
men and caused the loss of Sir Cloudesley ShovePs squadron. 
This indraught was probably the cause of what happened 
tons. 

We had a w^atchman placed in the bow, to whom they often 
called, '''■Look well out before tJiere,^^ a,nd he as often answered, 
^' Ay, ay;'''' but perhaps had his eyes shut, and was half 
asleep at the time, they sometimes answering, as is said, 
mechanically ; for he did not see a light just before us, w^hich 
had been hid by the studding-sails from the man at the helm, 
and from the rest of the watch, but by an accidental yaw of 
the ship was discovered, and occasioned a great alarm, we 
being very near it, the light appearing to me as big as a cart- 
W'heel. It was midnight, and our captain fast asleep ; but 
Captain Kennedy, jumping upon deck, and seeing the danger, 
ordered the ship to wear round, all sails standing ; an opera- 
tion dangerous to the masts, but it carried us clear, and we 
escaped shipwreck, for we were running right upon the rocks 
on which the light-house was erected. This deliverance im- 
pressed me strongly with the utility of light-houses, and 
made me resolve to encourage the building of more of them 
in America, if I should live to return there. 

In the morning it was found by the soundings, etc., that 
we were near our port, but a thick fog hid the land from our 
sight. About nine o'clock the fog began to rise, and seemed 
to be lifted up from the water like the curtain at a play-house, 
discovering underneath the town of Falmouth, the vessels in 
its harbor, and the fields that surrounded it. This was a 
most pleasing spectacle to those who had been so long with- 
out any other prospects than the uniform view of a vacant 
ocean, and it gave us the more pleasure as we were now free 
from the anxieties which the state of war occasioned. 

I set out immediately, with my son, for London, and we 
only stopped a little by the way to view Stonehenge on Salis- 
bury Plain, and Lord Pembroke's house and gardens, with his 



BEKJAMIN FRAKKLIN. 171 

very curious antiquities at Wilton. W« arrived in London the 
27th of July, 1757.^ 



As soon as I was settled in a lodging Mr. Charles had pro- 
vided for me, I went to visit Dr. Fothergill, to whom I was 
strongly recommended, and whose counsel respecting my pro- 
ceedings I was advised to obtain. He was against an imme- 
diate complaint to government, and thought the proprietaries 
should first be personally applied to, who might possibly be 
induced by the interposition and persuasion of some private 
friends, to accommodate matters amicably. I then waited on 
my old friend and correspondent, Mr. Peter Collinson, who 
told me that John Han bury, the great Virginia merchant, 
had requested to be informed when I should arrive, that he 
might carry me to Lord Granville's, who was then President 
of the Council and wished to see me as soon as possible. I 
agreed to go with him the next morning. Accordingly Mr. 
Hanbury called for me and took me in his carriage to that 
nobleman's, who received me with great civility ; and after 
some questions respecting the present state of affairs in 
America and discourse thereupon, he said to me: "You 
Americans have wrong ideas of the nature of your constitu- 
tion ; you contend that the king's instructions to his gover- 
nors are not laws, and think yourselves at liberty to regard 
or disregard them at your own discretion. But'those instruc- 
tions are not like the pocket instructions given to a minister 
going abroad, for regulating his conduct in some trifling point 
of ceremony. They are first drawn up by judges learned in 
the laws ; they are then considered, debated, and perhaps 
amended in Council, after which they are signed by the king. 
They are then, so far as they relate to you, the Jaiv of the 
land, for the king is the Legislator of the Colonies." I 
told his lordship this was new doctrine to me. I had always 



1. " Here terminates the Autobiograph}^, as published by Wm. Temple 
Franklin and his successors. What follows was written the last year of Dr. 
Franklin's life, and was never before printed in Knglish.'"—Bigelow's AutO' 
biography of Franklin, 1868, p. 350, note. 



172 BEKJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

understood from our charters that our laws were to be made 
by our Assemblies, to be presented indeed to the king for his 
royal assent, but that being once given the king could not 
repeal or alter them. And as the Assemblies could not make 
permanent laws without his assent, so neither could he make 
a law for them without theirs. He assured me I was totally 
mistaken. I did not think so, however, and his lordship's 
conversation having a little alarmed me as to what might be 
the sentiments of the court concerning us, I wrote it down as 
soon as I returned to my lodgings. I recollected that about 
twenty years before, a clause in a bill brought into Parliament 
by the ministry had proposed to make the king's instructions 
laws in the colonies, but the clause was thrown out by the 
Commons, for which we adored them as our friends and 
friends of liberty, till by their conduct ^ towards us in 1765 
it seemed that they had refused that point of sovereignty to 
the king only that they might reserve it for themselves. 

After some days. Dr. Fothergill having spoken to the pro- 
prietaries, they agreed to a meeting with me at Mr. T. Penn's 
house in Spring Garden. The conversation at first consisted 
of mutual declarations of disposition to reasonable accommo- 
dations, but I suppose each party had its own ideas of what 
should be meant by reasonable. We then went into consider- 
ation of our several points of complaint, which I enumerated. 
The proprietaries justified their conduct as well as they could, 
and I the Assembly's. We now appeared very wide, and so 
far from each other in our opinions as to discourage all hope 
of agreement. However, it was concluded that I should give 
them the heads of our complaints in writing, and they prom- 
ised then to consider them. I did so soon after, but they put 
the paper into the hands of their solicitor, Ferdinand John 
Paris, who managed for them all their law business in their 
great suit with the neighboring proprietary of Maryland, 
Lord Baltimore, which had subsisted seventy years, and wrote 
for them all their papers and messages in their dispute with the 

1. That is, hy proclaiming the Stamp Act. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 173 

Assembly. He was a proud, angry man, and as I had occa- 
sionally, in the answers of the Assembly, treated his papers 
with some severity, they being really wetik in point of argu- 
ment, and haughty in expression, he had conceived a mortal 
enmity to me, which discovering itself whenever we met, I 
declined the proprietary's proposal that he and I should dis- 
cuss the heads of complaint between our two selves, and re- 
fused treating with any one but them. They then by his 
advice put the paper into the hands of the Attorney and So- 
licitor-General for their opinion and counsel upon it, where it 
lay unanswered a year wanting eight days, during which 
time I made frequent demands of an answer from the pro- 
prietaries, but without obtaining any other than that they 
had not yet received the opinion of the Attorney and Solicitor- 
General. What it was when they did receive it I never 
learned, for they did not communicate it to me, but sent a long 
message to the Assembly drawn and signed by Paris, reciting 
my paper, complaining of its want of formality, as a rudeness 
on my part, and giving a flimsy justification of their conduct, 
adding that they should be willing to accommodate matters if 
the Assembly would send out some person of candor to treat 
with them for that purpose, intimating thereby that I was 
not such. 

The want of formality or rudeness was, probably, my not 
having addressed the paper to them with their assumed titles 
of True and Absolute Proprietaries of the Province of Penn- 
sylvania, which I omitted as not thinking it necessary in a 
paper, the intention of which was only to reduce to a certainty 
by writing, what in conversation I had delivered viva voce. 

But during this delay, the Assembly having prevailed with 
Governor Denny to pass an act taxing the proprietary estate 
in common with the estates of the people, which was the grand 
point in dispute, they omitted answering the message. 

When this act, however, came over, the proprietaries, coun- 
selled by Paris, determined to oppose its receiving the royal 
assent. Accordingly they petitioned the king in council, and 
a hearing was appointed in which two lawyers were employed 



174 BEN^JAMIK FRAKKLIN. 

by them against tlie act, and two by me in support of it. 
They alleged that the act was intended to load the proprietary 
estate in order to spare those of the people, and that if it 
were suffered to continue in force, and the proprietaries who 
were in odium with the people, left to their mercy in propor- 
tioning the taxes, they would inevitably be ruined. We re- 
plied that the act had no such intention, and would have no 
such effect. That the assessors were honest and discreet men 
under an oath to assess fairly and equitably, and that any ad- 
vantage each of them might expect in lessening his own tax 
by augmenting that of the proprietaries was too trifling to in- 
duce them to perjure themselves. This is the purport of what 
I remember as urged by both sides, except that we insisted 
strongly on the mischievous consequences that must attend a 
repeal, for that the money, £100,000, being printed and given 
to the king's use, expended in his service, and now spread 
among the people, the repeal would strike it dead in their 
hands to the ruin of many, and the total discouragement of 
future grants, and the selfishness of the proprietors in solic- 
iting such a general catastrophe, merely from a groundless 
fear of their estate being taxed too highly, was insisted on in 
the strongest terms. On this Lord Mansfield, one of the 
counsel, rose, and beckoning me, took me into the clerk's 
chamber, while the lawyers were pleading, and asked me if I 
was really of opinion that no injury would be done the pro- 
prietary estate in the execution of the act. I said certainly. 
*' Then," says he, "you can have little objection to enter into 
an engagement to assure that poii^t. " I answered, ' ' None at 
all." He then called in Paris, and after some discourse, his 
lordship's proposition was accepted on both sides; a paper to 
the purpose was drawn up by the clerk .of the Council, which 
I signed with Mr. Charles, who was also an agent of the Prov- 
ince for their ordinary affairs, when Lord Mansfield returned 
to the council chamber, where finally the law was allowed to 
pass. Some changes were, however, recommended, and we 
also engaged they should be made by a subsequent law, but 
the Assembly did not think them necessary; for one year's 



BEN^JAMIN FRAKKLIIsr. 175 

tax having been levied by the act before the order of Council 
arrived, they appointed a committee to examine the proceed- 
ings of the assessors, and on this committee they put several 
particuUir friends of the proprietaries. After a full inquiry, 
they unanimously signed a report that they found the tax 
had been assessed with perfect equity. 

The Assembly looked into my entering into the first part of 
the engagement, as an essential service to the Province, since • 
it secured the credit of the paper money then spread over all 
the country. They gave me their thanks in form when I re- 
turned. But the proprietaries were enraged at Governor 
Denny for having passed the act, and turned him out with 
threats of suing him for breach of instructions which he had 
given bond to observe. He, however, having done it at the 
instance of the General, and for His Majesty's service, and 
having some powerful interest at court, despised the threats 
and they were never put in execution. 

Continuation" of the Life of Franklin. 

PRESENTED MAINLY IN HIS OWN WORDS. 

On August 17, 1763, Franklin wrote from Portsmouth to 
his friend Lord Kames : ' I am now waiting here only for 
a wind to waft me to America ; but cannot leave this happy 
island and my friends in it without extreme regret, though I 
am going to a country and a people that I love. I am going 
from the old world to the new ; and I fancy I feel like those 
who are leaving this world for the next : grief at the parting ; 
fear of the passage ; hope of the future. These different pas- 
sions all affect their minds at once ; and these have tendei^ed 
me down exceedingly." 

Life in England had been very pleasant for Franklin, in 
spite of the prolonged annoyances of the business upon which 
he had been sent. His fame as a scientist had preceded him, 
and he was welcomed as an associate and friend by many of 
the most distinguished men in science and literature. He 



176 BEi^JAMIK FRAi^KLlK. 

was entertained at the fine country-seats, and at the univer- 
sities ; both Oxford and St. Andrews conferred on him the 
degree of Doctor of Laws. He enjoyed the old-world leisure, 
and its opportunities for study, for travel, and for social 
pleasures. His ready wit and homely, though profound wis- 
dom brought him into familiar companionship with the most 
brilliant and cultivated people in London society. "As to 
my situation here," he wrote, "nothing can be more agree- 
able. Learned and ingenious foreigners that come to Eng- 
land almost all make a point of visiting me ; for my reputa- 
tion is still higher abroad than here. Several of the foreign 
ambassadors have assiduously cultivated my acquaintance, 
treating me as one of their corps. " England w^as at war with 
France, and, with the fall of Quebec, Canada was within her 
grasp. Franklin wrote many letters and an able pamphlet 
urging the government to add Canada to the British posses- 
sions in America. Writing prophetically of the future great- 
ness of his own country, he said: "I have long been of 
opinion that the foundations of the future grandeur and 
stability of the British empire lie in America. ... I am 
therefore by no means for restoring Canada. If we keep it, 
all the country from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi will 
in another century be filled with British people. Britain itself 
will become vastly more populous by the immense increase to 
its commerce ; the Atlantic sea will be covered with your 
trading ships ; and your naval power, thence continually in- 
creasing, will extend your influence round the whole globe, 
and awe the world." 

But Franklin found quite as much pleasure in assisting his 
young friend Mary Stevenson with her studies as in giving 
advice to His Majesty's ministers. He accompanies a parcel 
of books with this helpful advice: "I would advise you to 
read with a pen in your hand, and enter in a little book short 
hints of what you find that is curious, or that may be useful ; 
for this will be the best method of imprinting such particulars 
in your memory, where they will be ready, either for practice 
on same future occasion, if they are matters of utility, or at 



BEKJAMIN^ FRANKLIK. 177 

least to adorn and improve your conversation, if they are 
rather points of curiosity. 

" And as many of the terms of science are such as you can- 
not have met with in your common reading, and may there- 
fore be unacquainted with, I think it would be well for you 
to have a good dictionary at hand, to consult immediately 
when you meet with a word you do not comprehend the pre- 
cise meaning of. This may at first seem troublesome and 
Interrupting ; but it is a trouble that will daily diminish, as 
you will daily find less and less occasion for your dictionary, 
as you become more and more acquainted with the terms ; 
and in the mean time you will read with more satisfaction, 
because with more understanding. 

" When any point occurs in which you would be glad to 
have further information than your book affords you, I beg 
you would not in the least apprehend that I should think it 
a trouble to receive and answer your questions. It will be a 
pleasure, and no trouble. For though I may not be able, out 
of my own little stock of knowledge, to afford you what you 
require, I can easily direct you to the books where it may 
most readily be found." 

His mission was at last successfully performed, and duty 
called Franklin back to his home in Philadelphia. He was 
now fifty-six years old, and he counted upon spending the 
remainder of his days in the enjoyable leisure of private life, 
with science as his chief occupation. But this was not to be ; 
his services were necessary for the public welfare. "Busi- 
ness, public and private, consumes all my time ; I must return 
to England for repose. With such thoughts I flatter myself, 
and need some kind friend to put me often in mind that old 
trees cannot safely be transplanted." Thus he wrote to Mary 
Stevenson, and very soon, indeed, he was on his way to Eng- 
land, not to find the repose of an English home which he had 
dreamed about, but to act a second time as the busy and 
responsible agent of the colony of Pennsylvania. Early in 
December, 1764, he was once more settled in his familiar 
rooms in Craven Street, and when the news of his safe arrival 



178 BENJAMIN FKANKLIN. 

reached Philadelphia, the bells were kept ringing until mid- 
night. Soon after he reached London, he wrote the following 
letter to an English friend, describing the events of the inter- 
val of two years : 

"You require my history from the time I set sail for Amer- 
ica. I left England about the end of August, 1762, in com- 
pany with ten sail of merchant -ships, under a convoy of a 
man-of-war. We had a pleasant passage to Madeira, where 
we were kindly received and entertained, our nation being 
then in high honor with the Portuguese, on account of the 
protection we were then affording them against the united 
invasions of France and Spain. It is a fertile island, and the 
different heights and situations among its mountains afford 
such temperaments of air, that all the fruits of northern and 
southern countries are produced there, — corn, grapes, apples, 
peaches, oranges, lemons, plantains, bananas, etc. Here we 
furnished ourselves with fresh provisions, and refreshments 
of all kinds ; and, after a few days, proceeded on our voyage, 
running southward until we got into the trade- winds, and 
then with them westward, till we drew near the coast of 
America. The weather was so favorable that there were few 
days in which we could not visit from ship to ship, dining 
with each other, and on board of the man-of-war, which made 
the time pass agreeably, much more so than when one goes 
in a single ship ; for this was like traveling in a moving vil- 
lage, with all one's neighbors ajDOut one. 

"On the 1st of November I arrived safe and well at my 
own home, after an absence of near six years; found my wife 
and daughter well, the latter grown quite a woman, with 
many amiable accomplishments acquired in my absence; and 
my friends as hearty and affectionate as ever, with whom my 
house was filled for many days, to congratulate me on my 
return. T had been chosen yearly during my absence to rep- 
resent the city of Philadelphia in our Provincial Assembly ; 
and, on my appearance in the House, they voted me three 
thousand pounds sterling for my services in England, and 
their thanks, delivered by the Speaker. In February follow- 



BEXJAMIif FRAKKLIN. 170 

ing, my son arrived with my new daughter ; for with my 
consent and approbation he married, soon after I left Eng- 
land, a very agreeable West India lady, with whom he is very 
happy. I accompanied him to his government, where he met 
with the kindest reception from the people of all ranks, and 
has lived with them ever since in the greatest harmony. A 
river only parts that province and ours, and his residence is 
within seventeen miles of me, so that we frequently see each 
other. ^ 

" In the spring of 1763 I set out on a tour through all the 
northern colonies to inspect and regulate the post-offices in 
the several provinces. In this journey I spent the summer, 
traveled about sixteen hundred miles, and did not get home 
till the beginning of November. The Assembly sitting through 
the following winter, and warm disputes arising between them 
and the governor, I became wholly engaged in public affairs ; 
for, besides my duty as an Assemblyman, I had another trust 
to execute — that of being one of the commissioners appointed 
by law to dispose of the public money appropriated to the 
raising and paying an army to act against the Indians, and 
defend the frontiers. And then, in December, we had two 
insurrections of the back inhabitants of our province, by 
whom twenty poor Indians were murdered, that had, from 
the first settlement of the province, lived among us, under the 
protection of our government. This gave me a good deal of 
employment ; for, as the rioters threatened further mischief, 
and their actions seemed to be approved by an ever-acting 
party, I wrote a pamphlet entitled A Narrative, etc. (which I 
think I sent to you), to strengthen the hands of our weak 
government, by rendering the proceedings of the rioters un- 
popular and odious.^ This had a good effect; and afterwards, 



1. The English Government made his son William governor of New Jersey, 
hoping thus to secure the father's loyalty, The son became a royalist and 
finally a Tory refugee, but the father's patriotism was not affected in the 
least. 

2. The full title of the pamphlet was " A Narrative of the Late Massacres." 
The event is known in history as tlie " Paxton Massacre," the leadei's being 
the "Paxtou Boys," lawless frontiersmen, from a settlement bearing that 
name. 



180 BENJAMIN FRANKLIIS-. 

when a great body of them, with arms, marched toward the 
capital, in defiance of the government, with an avowed resolu- 
tion to put to death one hundred and forty Indian converts 
then under its protection, I formed an association, at the 
governor's request, for his and their defense, we having no 
militia. Nearly one thousand of the citizens accordingly took 
arms. Governor Penn ^ made my house for some time his 
headquarters, and did everything by my advice ; so that f-or 
about forty-eight hours I was a very great man, as I had been 
once some years before, in a time of public danger.^ 

"But the fighting face we put on, and the reasonings we 
used with the insurgents (for I went, at the request of the 
governor and council, with three others, to meet and discourse 
with them), having turned them back and restored quiet to 
the city, I became a less man than ever ; for I had, by this 
transaction, made myself many enemies among the populace ; 
and the governor (with whose family our public disputes had 
long placed me in an unfriendly light, and the services I had 
lately rendered him not being of the kind that make a man 
acceptable), thinking it a favorable opportunity, joined the 
whole weight of the proprietary interest to get me out of the 
Assembly, which was accordingly effected at the last election, 
by a majority of about twenty-five in four thousand votei-s. 

" The House, however, when they met in October, approved 
of the resolutions taken, while I was speaker, of petitioning 
the crown for a change of government, and requested me to 
return to England to prosecute that petition ; which service I 
accordingly undertook, and embarked at the beginning of 
November last, being accompanied to the ship, sixteen miles, 
by a cavalcade of three hundred of my friends, who filled our 
sails with their good wishes, and I arrived in thirty days at 
London. Here I have been ever since, engaged in that and 
other public affairs relating to America, which are like to con- 
tinue some time longer upon my hands ; but I promise you 
tliat when I am quit of these I will engage in no other ; and 

1. The son of one of the proprietaries. 

2. When he assisted General Braddock. See p. 155. 



BEi^-JAMIN FRAI^KLIlir. 181 

that, as soon as I have recovered the ease and leisure I hope 
for, the task you require of me, of finishing my Art of Virtue, 
shall be performed." 

The ease and leisure that Franklin hoped for never came. 
He thought that his business would keep him in England 
about ten months at most, but he did not return for ten years. 
He worked faithfully for his petition, but the attention of the 
government was occupied with more important matters. The 
war with France had left a heavy burden of debt, and Eng- 
land had determined to make the colonies bear the larger 
part of this burden. The colonists were to be forced to buy 
all their goods in England, and not to be permitted to make 
for themselves those articles which England had to sell to 
them. Finally, the fatal Stamp Act was passed, and Franklin 
wrote to a friend in America: "Depend upon it, my good 
neighbor, I took every step in my power to prevent the passing 
of the Stamp Act, Nobody could be more concerned and in- 
terested than myself to oppose it sincerely and heartily. But 
the tide was too strong against us. The nation was provoked 
by American claims of independence, and all parties joined in 
resolving by this act to settle the point. We might as well have 
hindered the sun's setting. That we could not do. But since 
it is down, my friend, and it may be long before it rises again, 
let us make as good a night of it as we can. We can still light 
candles. Frugality and industry will go a great way towards 
indemnifying us. Idleness and pride tax with a heavier hand 
than kings and parliaments. If we can get rid of the former 
we may easily bear the latter." 

It is evident from these words that Franklin, at first, saw 
no course left to the colonists but patient endurance. Sur- 
rounded as he was daily with evidences of the might and 
majesty of England, it seemed to him that successful resist- 
ance would be impossible. He believed that the act would be- 
enforced, and being invited by the government to mention 
some " honest and responsible" man in Philadelphia to serve 
as stamp-distributer, he named Mr. Hughes, one of his ac- 
quaintances. When the news of these events reached Phila- 



183 BEifJAMIK FEAlSKLII^f. 

delpliia, the people rose in a wild frenzy of indignation, not 
only denouncing the odious acts of Parliament, but also revil- 
ing Franklin in bitterest terms, as having been in some way 
responsible for the unjust laws. It was known that attempts 
had been made to bribe him, and now it was believed that he 
had been won over to the royalists. But they soon had reason 
to be ashamed of their suspicions. Franklin's patriotism was 
above question. When he fully learned the state of feeling 
throughout the colonies, he became the most sturdy champion 
of the rights claimed by his countrymen, and in explaining 
and defending the views of the colonists he performed a ser- 
vice that no other American then living could have rendered ; 
for so extensive and accurate was his knowledge of American 
affairs, and so general was the respect paid to his authority 
and opinions in England, that the repeal of the hated acts was 
due in large measure to his untiring efforts. He was sum- 
moned before the House of Com.mons to give testimony con- 
cerning the colonies, and when asked whether the colonists 
"would submit to the Stamp Act, if it were modified, the 
obnoxious parts taken out, and the duty reduced to some 
particulars of small moment," he replied with forcible brevity: 
"!N'o, they will never submit to it." When asked whether 
they could do without British goods, he said: "The goods 
they take from Britain are either necessaries, mere conveni- 
ences, or superfluities. The first, as cloth, etc., with a little 
industry they can make at home ; the second they can do 
without until they are able to provide them among themselves; 
and the last, which are much the greatest part, they will strike 
off immediately." The truth of this statement was soon real- 
ized by the British merchants. He was asked whether the 
people would not use the stamps, if without them they would 
be "unable to obtain any right or recover by law any debt," 
and replied : " It is hard to say what they would do. I can 
only judge what other people will think, and how they will 
act, by what I feel within myself. I have a great many debts 
due to me in America, and I would rather they should remain 
unrecoverable by any law than submit to the Stamp Act." 



BEJ^JAMIN" FRANKLIN". 183 

The Stamp Act was repealed March 18, 1766, and the good 
news was received with shouts of joy in the colonies. The 
citizens of Philadelphia celebrated the event with a grand 
procession, of which the principal feature was "a barge, forty 
feet long, named Franklin, from which salutes were fired as 
it passed along the streets." The recent distrust of their 
great representative was changed to enthusiastic devotion. 
Franklin's pleasant method of celebrating the event is shown 
by the following letter to his wife : 

" As the Stamp Act is at length repealed, I am willing you 
should have a new gown, which you may suppose I did not 
send sooner, as I knew you would not like to be finer than 
your neighbors, unless in a gown of your own spinning. Had 
the trade between the two countries totally ceased, it was a 
comfort to me to recollect that I had once been clothed from 
head to foot in woolen and linen of my wife's manufacture, 
that I never was prouder of any dress in my life, and that 
she and her daughter might do it again if it was necessary. 
I told the Parliament that it was my opinion, before the old 
clothes of the Americans were worn out they might have 
new ones of their own making. I have sent you a fine piece 
of Pompadour satin, fourteen yards, cost eleven shillings a 
yard ; a silk negligee and a petticoat of brocaded lutestring 
for my dear Sally ; with two dozen gloves, four bottles of 
lavender water, and two little reels. The reels are to screw 
on the edge of the table, when she would wind silk or thread. 
The skein is to be put over them, and winds better than if 
held in two hands. There is also a gimcrack corkscrew, 
which you must get some brother gimcrack to show you the 
use of. In the chest is a parcel of books for my friend 
Mr. Coleman, and another for Cousin Colbert. Pray, did he 
receive those I sent him before? I send you also a box 
with three fine cheeses. Perhaps a bit of them may be left 
when I come home. Mrs. Stevenson has been very diligent 
and serviceable in getting these things together for you, and 
presents her best respects, as does her daughter, to both you 
and Sally." 



184 BEI^JAMIN FRANKLIN". 

Franklin's valuable services were generally recognized 
throughout the colonies, and he was appointed agent also for 
Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. In reality he was 
the representative of all America, and was so regarded in 
England. For several years he continued to labor earnestly 
to bring about a reconciliation between the colonies and the 
mother country. But it proved to be an impossible task. 
The feeling of hostility was becoming each year more intense 
and bitter on both sides. The Stamp Act had been repealed, 
not because it was unjust, but because it was injuring English 
trade, and the government continued busily to devise new 
measures of oppression that could be successfully enforced. 
Franklin's spirit was always hopeful, and he believed, almost 
to the last, that the object so near his heart, the restoration 
of peace and harmony, would be accomplished. Yet in 1768 
he wrote sadly : " Being born and bred in one of the countries, 
and having lived long and made many agreeable connections 
of friendship in the other, I wish all prosperity to both ; but 
I have talked and written so much and so long on the sub- 
ject, that my acquaintances are weary of hearing and the 
public of reading any more of it, which begins to make me 
weary of talking and writing ; especially as I do not find 
that I have gained any point in either country, except that of 
rendering myself suspected by my impartiality ; in England 
of being too much an American, and in America of being too 
much an Englishman. " 

The position of Franklin became more and more difficult as 
the spirit of resistance increased in America. His opinion 
was still sought by English statesmen upon all questions 
pertaining to the colonies. But finally, when they saw that 
his sympathies were entirely enlisted upon the American 
side, and that he could not be flattered or bribed into a 
change of conviction, they turned against him with the 
spirit of bitterest enmity and hatred. The office of post- 
master was taken from him ; he was attacked by the news- 
papers, and threatened Avith arrest for treason ; Lord Sand- 
wich denounced him in the House of Lords as " one of the 



BENJAMI:N- FRANKLIl?". 185 

bitterest and most mischievous enemies this country has ever 
known." His friends warned him of the danger of remaining 
longer in England, but he did not leave until it was certain 
that he could do nothing more for the colonies. 

To friends at home he wrote: "My situation here is 
thought by many to be a little hazardous ; for if by some 
accident the troops and people of New England should come 
to blows, I should probably be taken up ; the ministerial 
people affecting everywhere to represent me as the cause of 
all the misunderstanding. And I have been frequently 
cautioned to secure all my papers, and by some advised to 
withdraw. But I venture to stay, in compliance with the 
wish of others, till the result of the Congress arrives, since 
they suppose my being here might on that occasion be of 
use. And I confide in my innocence, that the worst that can 
happen to me will be an imprisonment upon suspicion ; though 
that is a thing I should much desire to avoid, as it may be 
expensive and vexatious, as well as dangerous to my health." 
His last official act was to place in the hands of the ministry 
the Declaration of Rights. His last day in London was spent 
with his friend Dr. Priestley, who says that much of the 
time " he was looking over a number of American news- 
papers, directing me what to extract from them for the Eng- 
lish ones ; and in reading them he was frequently not able 
to proceed for the tears literally running down his cheeks." 
His departure signified that all hope of reconciliation and 
peace was gone forever. 

He reached Philadelphia May 5, 1775, and found things 
strangely changed. His wife had died during his absence, 
his son was alienated by politics, his daughter had grown to 
womanhood and was married to a man whom he had never 
seen. The country was in a turmoil of excitement ; war 
had already begun, the battles of Lexington and Concord 
having occurred while he was on the ocean. The effect of 
these events upon Franklin's feelings is shown by the letter 
he wrote, a few weeks later, to one of his closest friends in 
England ; 



186 BENJAMIX FKANKLIN. 

^^ Mr. StraJian :— You are a member of Parliament, and 
one of that majority wliich has doomed my country to de- 
struction. You have begun to burn our towns and murder 
our people. Look upon your hands ; they are stained with 
the blood of your relations ! You and I were long friends ; 
you are now my enemy, and I am yours. 

"B. Franklin." 

In a letter to his friend Dr. Priestley he wrote : " Tell our 
dear, good friend Dr. Price, who sometimes has his doubts 
and despondencies about our firmness, that America is deter- 
mined and unanimous, a very few Tories and placemen ex- 
cepted, who will probably soon export themselves. Britain, 
at the expense of three millions, has killed one hundred and 
fifty Yankees, this campaign, which is twenty thousand 
pounds a head ; and at Bunker's Hill she gained a mile of 
ground, half of which she lost again by our taking post at 
Ploughed Hill. During the same time sixty thousand children 
have been born in America. From these data his mathemat- 
ical head will easily calculate the time and expense necessary 
to kill us all, and conquer our whole territory." 

On the day after his landing Franklin was elected a dele- 
gate to the Continental Congress, of which he was a member 
fourteen months. He was appointed to all the important com- 
mittees, and presented the "first sketch of a plan of confed- 
eration " which is known to have been presented to Congress. 
He was made postmaster-general, was sent to Cambridge to 
confer with Washington upon military affairs, and to Montreal 
to consult with General Arnold in regard to possible aid from 
Canada. This last was almost a cruel task to put upon one 
so old, but he answered cheerfully every demand made upon 
him for his country's good. On reaching Saratoga he wrote : 
" I begin to apprehend that I have undertaken a fatigue that 
at my time of life may prove too much for me ; so I sit down 
to write to a few friends by way of farewell." From this 
perilous and fruitless undertaking he returned to be at once 
made presiding oflacer of a convention to frame a constitution 



BEN'JAMIN^ FRANKLIX. 187 

for the independent State of Pennsylvania. As the war ad- 
vanced it became important to establish commercial relations 
with the friendly nations of Europe, and especially to obtain 
loans of money for the support of the armies. France par- 
ticularly, it was believed, would aid the new nation, being 
herself an enemy of England. Accordingly Congress, by a 
unanimous vote, sent Franklin to test the good-will of the 
French people and. the generosity of their king. When the 
vote was announced, he whispered to a friend : " I am old 
and good for nothing^ but, as the store-keepers say of their 
remnants of cloth, ' I am but a fag-end, and you may have me 
for what you please.'" He was now seventy years old, and 
was about to undertake the most difficult and responsible 
mission of his whole public career. He did not set out, how- 
ever, until he had signed his name to that remarkable docu- 
ment, the Declaration of Independence. 

During the discussion of the Declaration, Jefferson, its chief 
author, was much annoyed by the criticisms of the members, 
and Franklin, sitting near him at the time, consoled him in 
the following manner : " I have made it a rule, whenever in 
my power, to avoid becoming the draughtsman of papers to be 
reviewed by a public body. I took my lesson from an inci- 
dent which I will relate to you. When I was a journeyman 
printer, one of my companions, an apprenticed hatter, hav- 
ing served out his time, was about to open shop for himself. 
His first concern was to have a handsome sign-board, with 
a proper inscription. He composed it in these words : John 
Thompson, Hatter, makes and sells hats for ready money, 
with a figure of a hat subjoined. But he thought he would 
submit it to his friends for their amendments. The first he 
showed it to thought the word hatter tautologous, because 
followed by the words makes hats, which showed he was a 
hatter. It was struck out. The next observed that the word 
makes might as well be omitted, because his customers would 
not care who made the hats ; if good, and to their mind, 
they would buy, by whomsoever made. He struck it out. A 
third said he thought the words for ready money were use- 



188 BENJAMIN- FRANKLIN". 

less, as it was not the custom of the place to sell on credit. 
Every one who purchased expected to pay. They were parted 
with, and the inscription now stood, John Thompson sells 
hats. ' Sells hats ' ? says his next friend ; ' why, nobody 
will expect you to give them away. What, then, is the 
use of that word ? ' It was stricken out, and hats followed, 
the rather as there was one painted on the board. So his 
inscription was ultimately reduced to John Thompson^ with 
the figure of a hat subjoined." 

Franklin sailed late in October, 1776, and reached France 
in safety, although the passage was stormy and the little ship 
Reprisal was several times chased by English cruisers. Soon 
after landing he wrote good-naturedly to a lady friend in 
England : " You are too early, hussy, as well as too saucy, in 
calling me rebel ; you should wait for the event which will 
determine whether it is a rebellion or only a revolution .... I 
know you wish you could see me ; but, as you cannot, I will 
describe myself to you. Figure me in your mind as jolly as 
formerly, and as strong and hearty, only a few years older ; 
very plainly dressed, wearing my thin, gray, straight hair, 
that peeps out under my only coiffure, a fine fur cap, which 
comes down over my forehead almost to my spectacles. Think 
how this must appear among the powdered heads of Paris ! " 
The French people received this "plainly dressed" represent- 
ative of the new republic with enthusiasm and even extrava- 
gant demonstrations of delight. Crowds filled the streets to 
see him pass ; nobles and statesmen, philosophers and men of 
fashion, all united in welcoming the American Solon ; his face 
was seen in every print-shop, and on finger-rings, bracelets, 
and snuff-boxes. Poets wrote sonnets upon him ; women of 
rank and fashion placed Franklin portraits upon their man- 
tles and Franklin stoves in their chambers. The jokes and 
wise sayings of " Bonhomme Richard" were circulated by the 
newspapers throughout the kingdom. The " Way to Wealth" 
was translated and used in the schools. His fame, said John 
Adams, seemed "more universal than that of Leibnitz or 
I^ewton, Frederic or Voltaire." To on^ who wa§ lamenting 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". 189 

with him the suffering of Washington's army at Valley Forge 
he remarked, "^a ira, Qa. ira" (It will all come right in the 
end); these words were treasured in the memory of the people, 
and became the national cry in their own great revolution. 

Franklin's duties in France not only involved great respon- 
sibility, but were often exceedingly trying and burdensome, 
yet he always performed them cheerfully and with remarkable 
skill and success. The financial difficulties with which he was 
constantly harassed are suggested by a passage in a letter to 
one of his countrymen who was urging him for money : " The 
continental vessels of war which come to France have like- 
wise required great sums of us to furnish and refit them, and 
supply the men with necessaries. The prisoners, too, who 
escape from England claim a very expensive assistance from 
us, and are much dissatisfied with the scanty allowance we are 
able to afford them. The interest bills above mentioned, of the 
drawing of which we have received notice, amount to two mil- 
lion five hundred thousand dollars, and we have not a fifth part 
of the sum in our banker's hands to answer them ; and large 
orders to us from Congress for supplies of clothing, arms, and 
ammunition remain uncomplied with for want of money. In 
this situation of our affairs we hope you will not insist on our 
giving you a farther credit with our banker, with whom we are 
in daily danger of having no farther credit ourselves. " Once 
when several ships loaded with American products for sale in 
France fell into the hands of the enemy, he remarked reso- 
lutely : "The destroying of our ships by the English is only 
like shaving our beards, that will grow again. Their loss of 
provinces is like the loss of a limb, which can never again be 
united to their body." His persistent patience and skillful 
diplomacy overcame all obstacles, and he obtained many and 
large sums of money, both as gifts and loans, without which 
the war could not have been continued. 

Finally, the war was ended, and the last important act of 
Franklin's long and illustrious diplomatic career was signing 
the articles of peace with England. To his friend Mary Ste- 
venson he wrote : " At length we are at peace. God be praised, 



190 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

and long, very long, may it continue. All wars are follies, very 
expensive, and very mischievous ones. "When will mankind 
be convinced of this, and agree to settle their differences by 
arbitration ? Were they to do it, even by the cast of a die, it 
would be better than by fighting and destroying each other." 

Franklin now loved France as he had once loved England, 
and his friends urged him to spend the rest of his days among 
them, warning him of the danger of an ocean voj^age at his 
advanced age. But he replied : ' ' The desire of spending the 
little remainder of life with my family is so strong as to deter- 
mine me to try at least whether I can bear the motion of the 
ship. If not, I must get them to set me ashore somewhere in 
the Channel and content myself to die in Europe." He was 
seventy-nine years old, and to the usual infirmities of age 
were added frequent and painful attacks of the gout. When 
the time of his departure came, the queen sent him her own 
litter, that he might reach his ship with as little pain as possi- 
ble, and from the king he received a portrait of his Royal 
Majesty, framed in a double circle of four hundred and eight 
diamonds. 

On the morning of September 13, 1785, Franklin found 
himself " in full view of dear Philadelphia." His arrival was 
announced by a discharge of cannon and the ringing of all the 
church-bells. Crowds of his fellow-citizens greeted him at the 
wharf and escorted him to his home. He was immediately 
elected a member of the city council, and the council and as- 
sembly then made him president of the commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania. "I had not firmness enough," he says, "to 
resist the unanimous desire of my countryfolks; and I find 
myself harnessed again in their service for another year. 
They engrossed the prime of my life. They have eaten my 
flesh, and seem resolved now to pick my bones." 

When the convention met to frame the Constitution, " the 
venerable Dr. Franklin," as people now called him, was the 
most conspicuous member. Madison tells us that while the 
last members were signing the important document, "Dr. 
Franklin, looking toward the president's chair, at the back of 



BENTJAMIN FKANKLT^. 191 

which a rising sun happened to be painted, observed to a few 
members near him that painters had found it difficult to dis- 
tinguish, in their art, a rising from a setting sun. ' I have,' 
he said, ' often and often in the course of the session, and the 
vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at 
that behind the president without being able to tell whether 
it was rising or setting ; but now at length I have the happi- 
ness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.' " 

His last years were filled with suffering, but he was always 
cheerful, and while his body was racked with pain his mental 
faculties remained clear and vigorous. In 1788 he wrote : 
"You kindly inquire after my health. I have not of late 
much reason to boast of it. People that will live a long life 
and drink to the bottom of the cup must expect to meet with 
some of the dregs. However, when I consider how many 
more terrible maladies the human body is liable to, I think 
myself well off that I have only three incurable ones : the 
gout, the stone, and old age ; and, those notwithstanding, I 
enjoy many comfortable intervals, in which I forget all my 
ills, and amuse myself in reading or writing, or in conversa- 
tion with friends, joking, laughing, and telling merry stories, 
as when you first knew me, a young man about fifty." He 
once said : "I often hear persons whom I knew when chil- 
dren called old Mr. Such-a-one, to distinguish them from 
their sons, now men grown and in business ; so that by living 
twelve years beyond David's period I seem to have intruded 
myself into the company of posterity, when I ought to have 
been abed and asleep." 

It was a boon of providence that Franklin was permitted 
to live to see the new government established, and his hopes 
for the new nation realized. When Washington became 
president, he wrote to the great chieftain : " My malady ren- 
ders my sitting up to write rather painful to me ; but I cannot 
let my son-in-law, Mr. Bache, depart for New York without 
congratulating you by him on the recovery of your health, so 
precious to us all, and in the growing strength of our new 
government under your administration. For my own per- 



192 BENJAMIK FRANKLIN. 

sonal ease, I should have died two years ago ; but though 
those years have been spent in excruciating pain, I am pleased 
that I have lived them, since they have brought me to see our 
present situation. I am now finishing my eighty-fourth year, 
and probably with it my career in this life ; but whatever 
state of existence I am placed in hereafter, if I retain my 
memory of what has passed here, I shall with it retain the 
esteem, respect, and affection with which I have long been, 
my dear friend, yours most sincerely." The end came a few 
months later, April 17, 1790. It was fitting that these words 
of farewell should be addressed to one with whom he divided 
the highest honors of the Revolution, for no other one of the 
builders of our nation approaches Washington and Franklin 
in greatness of achievement and nobility of fame. 



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